All it takes is a trio
by Scififan33
Summary: A portkey trip for a vacation away from the tensions of a post-war Britain, what could go wrong? There's a reason Harry hates the things. Though it was clear almost immediately that something had gone very wrong. They'd never seen anything like the massive building they landed in but they couldn't deny the woman's plea for them to help this strange world.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: Don't own HP or FFXV_

_This will be a short fic_

_Very AU for HP_

**Chapter 1**

She did not like failing and yet there had been too many failures. She had failed to save her beloved and had 'died' in the process. She had been unable to spare her young charge the grief of her Mother's death and her Brother becoming a tool for the Empire. The Chosen King had been saved from debilitating injury and the Scourge that had lingered within his wounds only to face the grief of his city falling to the enemy, his Father killed by a trusted soldier. She had done what she could to support the Oracle over her years of captivity until she Ascended to her position and then began travelling to aid the people. The time on the road after Insomnia's fall had been trying, watching Lunafreya weaken with every Astral she woke, guiding the young King where she could and then had come Leviathan. She wished she could have frozen her solid for what she had done. She had not been the one to kill Lunafreya, but she had severely weakened her by attacking, far more than the Covenant would have normally. They had all tested the young King, only Leviathan had legitimately tried to kill him.

She had given her Covenant to the Chosen King, as Lunafreya had wished but not only for her. He was her best chance at freeing her beloved from what he had become at the hand of the Accursed. She had never agreed with what had happened so long ago but Bahamut would not be swayed from his precious Prophecy's. The King of Light had returned from the Crystal and even now made his way to the final showdown and his destiny.

She felt another join her and his disquiet as well but what could two do? The mortals remained oblivious as thunder rumbled in the distance.

She felt a flash of pride as her beloved actually evaded every shot from the Draconian, but she knew what had to be done, no matter how it would break her heart. She materialised on the battlefield, the temperature plummeting as she walked gracefully towards the King in her guise of Messenger. _"Pyreburner. That heart of flame was turned to ash once… A dead fire must burn no more. Taste again the chill wind of death,"_ she called as she walked past the exhausted King, her form twisting and changing, splitting. Snow fell as the wind whipped up as she unleashed her most powerful attack. Ifrit hefted his weapon and began running forward but with every step he slowed until he froze in place and she flew up to gently touch his cheek, kissing him one last time before his physical form shattered. _"Rest, my love. May your soul know peace at last,"_ she whispered before turning to look at the King. _"King of Kings, the grace of the gods is with you always."_

"I made a promise…one that I intend to keep," he answered, and she faded away. She watched as he faced the Accursed, killing his mortal shell, then the goodbyes between the four boys before the King ascended the Throne and called upon the Lucii, giving her energy with the others in order for the Prophecy to be fulfilled…but she did not give too much, nor did Ramuh.

As the fight proceeded she appeared before the Throne, looking at the body pinned there by a sword, and as she felt the battle ending, she reached out and gently touched the King's face, before leaving to find his companions. There was a lot of work to do and not much time to do it in

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Harry choked as he slammed into something hard, forcing the air from his lungs even as he forced his body into a roll, coming to his knees, magic rising, shields forming around where he heard the two thuds of his companions landing. Dark emerald eyes flecked through with gold, scanned the surrounds, showing growing confusion.

"No one in range," Hermione groaned as she got to her feet, warm brown eyes scanning the massive hallway they were in, magic swirling around her fingers before vanishing as he released the scanning spell she had crafted.

Ron was the last up, having stayed down to heal the bruises, now he moved to Harry and then Hermione, ensuring they were both fine. "Any bets on who redirected the Portkey?" he asked, blue eyes sharp as he took in everything they could see.

Hermione snorted and tossed her braid over her shoulder. "It would be easier to work out who didn't. And why send us to an empty hallway in an at least mostly empty building?"

Harry looked around, running a hand over a ledge and frowning. "From the dust, no one's been here in ages. What is this place?" They didn't question him on that, if anyone knew how quickly dust and grime accumulated it was the one who had been forced to forever clean as a child.

"It's creepy is what it is," Ron muttered as he pulled his armoured coat out of his bag and put it on, the others following his example, better to be safe than sorry. "Which doesn't make sense," he sighed. "This isn't the Black summer house," he glanced at Harry who nodded, he'd seen an old painting and it was nothing like this.

He moved to a window and looked out, feeling the mid-thigh length black coat settle as he moved, they had been dressed for vacation, not battle. Not that their casual wear wasn't spelled for protection, it was, but they all felt safer in an unknown situation wearing at least some armour and their jackets were Basilisk hide, more spell resistant than dragonhide. "I don't think we're in Kansas anymore," he stared with wide eyes and they moved to see as well. A city rose up in front of them, a modern muggle one except the buildings were damaged, some totally collapsed. They were high enough up to see the city ending at a wall and then beyond that, wilderness.

"Bloody hell," Ron sputtered as Hermione stared out at the view, searching for anything familiar as she had travelled the most out of the three of them.

"Do you feel it?" Harry asked and they nodded.

"Magic and loads of it, more than Hogwarts," Ron offered.

Wherever they'd been sent they had to find a way home. Kingsley was barely holding on to his position as Minister and he needed their support. It wouldn't be the first time the Dark Alliance had attempted to get rid of them, but this appeared the best attempt yet…if they were actually involved. Surely they would have been attacked on landing? The heroes of the last Blood War were not easily taken unawares and yet none of them had detected anything off about the portkey that was meant to have taken them to the Black summer home in Australia. This was definitely not that house or the British Ministry. Despite the dust and general feeling of a long time without upkeep, the place was incredible and grand.

With no other option they began moving down the hallway, a shield around them for safety, spells at the ready. They had been exploring dangerous places together since they were eleven, they were just a lot better at it these days. War had forged them into a unit, relying on no one but themselves. Ron had grown beyond chess strategies, learning how to look at a fight and see how to win it even as he learned to heal their wounds, something he had never seen himself doing. Hermione had overcome her worship of books and authority figures, but she still read voraciously, absorbing esoteric knowledge and sharing it. She had become a spellcrafter, if she couldn't find the answer in a book, she made the answer. Harry was the powerhouse, there wasn't a spell or ritual he couldn't handle, and it had been those reserves of power that had led to Riddle's permanent downfall. They each had their place in the trio, their bonds forged in blood and loss. Cedric, Sirius, Dumbledore, Fred, Remus, Tonks, Mad Eye…..the list was far too long, and they avoided thinking of it when they could. The losses in the war had been high, thanks to Dumbledore's ridiculous policy of giving a second, third, even tenth chance to those who killed without remorse. Mad Eye had taken command when he was killed, and they had begun fighting back but it had almost been too little too late. The war had torn their world apart and yet still the old prejudices persisted, no matter what they did to break down the barriers in the Wizarding World. They had been considering leaving Britain for good and Harry had the sinking feeling the decision had been taken out of their hands.

They came to an elevator and Harry pressed the button, all shocked when the doors opened. If the place had been deserted for as long as it appeared….how was there still power? They waited uneasily as it ascended, a bubble like shield surrounding them in case it should fail and decide to send them plummeting to their deaths. A slight crackling sound came from hidden speakers, whatever was left of the standard elevator music most likely. They exited cautiously and found a pair of massive doors before them.

"Anyone else think we're being led?" Ron asked and they nodded even as Hermione began inspecting the doors for spells or the like.

"Looks clean," she finally announced and then pushed at one to open it. She knew Ron would have preferred to do it, but they had finally convinced him that the Healer could not go first. An injured Healer could not help anyone after all. Harry went last, keeping them shielded while ready to defend their backs and able to cast around and over them if needed. Ron had pouted the day they realised Harry had actually surpassed him in height, though it wasn't even a full inch, Hermione had just rolled her eyes, she was the shortest and it didn't bother her at all.

The room they entered was longer than Hogwarts great Hall and could easily fit two or three of it stacked on top of each other. At the far end was a wide staircase leading up to a landing and then it split in two, each curving up…Hermione gasped and with an almost silent crack they vanished to appear on the midpoint landing, staring up in shock. Above them was a stone throne but it was what was on the throne that held their attention. What looked like an ice statue sat on the throne with an actual sword through it, pinning it to the stone, the statue slumped over the blade like a real body would. "The magic…" Hermione whispered in awe.

Harry nodded, the hair on his arms was practically standing on end from the feel of the magic coming from above them. He hesitated but then began walking up the stairs, he would be best able to defend himself from anything up there. He stood in front of the throne, amazed by the detail of the statue. The ice was clear though tinged slightly blue and yet he could see every strand of hair, every crease in the clothing and the sword had not so much as cracked or chipped the ice when thrust in. He hesitated and then touched the hilt of the blade, gasping as a woman appeared before him. She was beautiful in an alien sort of way, her hair in braids and just as white as her body.

"Harry!" Ron yelled and with twin pops they appeared beside him, ready to fight in necessary.

The woman smiled softly at them. _"Please, save the Chosen King and the people of Eos,"_ a voice that reached right into their minds whispered. _"He gave his life to bring back the light, but it was our fault. The world would not have recovered in time to save the population,"_ she indicated the window and they cautiously went to it. Below was obviously the main entrance to the building with a grand staircase…and three statues on the stairs, one on its back, the other two standing.

"The statues are people?" Harry asked and she nodded.

"_The world has recovered from the never ending night and can now support humanity. Please, free the King and free everyone,"_ with that she faded away.

"I get the feeling we now know who diverted us," Ron offered.

"Free the King, but how?" Hermione asked, moving to inspect the figure. "Surely the sword wound would be fatal?"

Ron moved in to inspect the wound. "Not immediately," he finally decided. "But we'd have to move fast once he was freed. His whole body appears to have become ice, he's not just covered in a layer."

"Which is why he's see through."

"Would have helped if she mentioned how to free him," Harry sighed as he settled in to work with his friends to try and free the man without killing him.

Within ten hours it was obvious this was not a problem they could solve quickly, and they soon had a campsite set up within the Throne room. They could have found actual bedrooms somewhere in the building but that felt too weird, those rooms likely belonged to someone after all. Instead they made camp close to their task to save time and so that they would not be separated.

Hermione spent her time bent over books and scrolls, working out various equations and theories. Ron was busy going over their medical supplies and working out what would be best to have ready for when they freed the King.

Harry spent his time at the Throne, getting a feel for the foreign magic since he would be powering whatever they ended up doing. He had spent time just looking at the young King, and he was young, though Harry was pretty sure he was older than they were. He sat in front of the throne, staring up at a face made of ice. The eyes were closed, features slack and it was obvious he had been very close to death when frozen, too close. He wasn't sure if they could heal him if his injuries remained once defrosted. Not unless…he hated using that, every transformation was harder to return from than the last. Would he do it for a stranger? For this stranger…he might. There was something noble, sad, about him but also strong. Harry had gone outside to see the three on the stairs, they were all male and looked (as best as he could tell from ice) to be about the same age as their King, they also didn't melt despite the sunlight streaming down on them. Were they his friends, retainers or just three unlucky souls who were on the stairs when they were frozen? To him it looked like they'd been fighting just before turning to ice. The one on his back had a gun in one hand, the other raised to guard his throat as if something was lunging for him. the largest carried a massive sword while the third had a pole arm of some sort. Harry had the feeling they had been defending the building and the King inside from something when the ice had taken them. He wondered how long it had been, he'd checked, the elevator was no longer powered which made him think that woman had enabled it to work and bring them to the Throne room. Their world had recovered but it looked like the world of humans had seriously deteriorated. Would the people be able to rebuild? Would they be thrown back into their equivalent of the Stone Age?

After three days Harry left them to their work, using line of sight apparition to head to the wall around the city, seeing water and a bridge to what had to be the mainland, so he kept going. He came to a fortified area and entered cautiously, finding only more ice statues. The land around it was totally wild and overrun with various plants. The animals he'd seen were nothing like those back home, but they kept their distance, sensing a more powerful predator. It seemed whatever spell had frozen the people kept the human settlements clear as well which would improve their chances once awake. It looked like it had once been a garage with a diner but had been later turned into something more like a small military post with massive floodlights and fences. The people of this world seemed to have been quite advanced, he'd spotted sleek phones scattered around. Though the weapons didn't seem all that advanced, modern Earth armies no longer carried swords or polearms except for ceremonial purposes and yet he had seen few guns. The cars weren't all that high tech either, no blue tooth or anything that he could see. Though at least they had what appeared to be a world map pinned to a wall which he took down to take back with him.

He used the map and kept apparating, finding the place marked Galdin Quay but it was overgrown and had obviously been destroyed before the great freeze. He then headed for Lestallum, finding it heavily fortified and full of ice statues. It was interesting that the smaller city was full of people while the large one, named Insomnia on the map, was empty. Had it been damaged before whatever had caused them to retreat into fortified places? Was it whatever the King had died to stop? Never ending night? How was that possible, even with magic? He'd gone through anything that looked official at the old garage and the city, but it still left an awful lot unanswered.

When he returned to Insomnia he found Ron helping Hermione, so he got to work as well, explaining everything he had found.

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"What do you think's happening back home?" Ron asked quietly one night, four months after they had arrived.

"If time between worlds is constant…" Hermione looked away. "We've likely been declared dead."

Ron flinched at that and Harry felt bad for them, they had families who would miss them, even if Hermione's parents had never returned to England after the war. Kingsley would have mounted a search, and everyone would have gone along with it. Because if someone could take them out then no one was safe, and the Dark Alliance would know they hadn't done it which would mean an unknown third party.

"Yeah," Ron ran a hand through messy red hair. "If Kingsley's played it smart, we're being held up as martyrs for the cause," he admitted. It was the strategic thing to do, to give their side the chance to get a firm grip on power, finally.

"Maybe they've given Harry another hyphenated title," Hermione mustered a grin and Harry groaned even as he began re-braiding her wet hair.

"For people who can do so much….their imaginations suck," he grumbled, and they laughed even as Ron served up the mystery meat Harry had begun hunting in order to supplement their own supplies. Good thing they were paranoid, or they would have been in big trouble getting dumped in a world where they were the only humans. They ate in silence for a while, content to just be. They didn't need words, they hadn't in a long time. they knew each other, inside and out, better than anyone else.

"Tomorrow," Ron finally said, and Hermione nodded, tomorrow they would finally attempt to free the King.

They slept side by side, Harry's arm over Hermione's waist, her legs tangled with Ron's, despite their nerves. They had learnt to sleep wherever, whenever they could during the war, no matter how nervous they may be for the coming day.

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Harry watched as Hermione drew out the runic arrays around the Throne, every stroke perfect. Ron had the makeshift hospital ready and waiting for up to three, just in case. Harry was kneeling beside Hermione, carefully powering the runes until she was done, and he stepped over them, bracing himself before wrapping his hands around the hilt of the embedded sword. "Ready?"

"Whenever you're ready Harry," she told him.

"One…two…." He shifted his stance slightly, feeling his magic flare. "Three!" the runes lit up, converging on them even as Harry pulled, feeling the blade resist before suddenly coming free. He tossed the blade aside and then moved, supporting the ice form to keep it from falling and shattering even as the magic surged up the Throne and over it.

_TBC…_


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: Not mine_

**Chapter 2**

Harry grit his teeth as he felt his magic drain, supporting the heavy statue as lines of magic writhed over the throne and then over the ice before sinking in. He closed his eyes and hunched against it as a shockwave blasted outward and through the walls.

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Prompto gasped in air as his head hit the stair, coughing and trying not to choke even as bone deep shivers set in. He shut his eyes in pain, it was too bright! He heard groans and thumps nearby and knew it was Ignis and Gladio. Why was he so cold? "G..Gu..ys?" he forced past chattering teeth. He nearly jumped as a hand touched his arm but then he blindly reached up to grip the gloved hand. Then he was being hauled upright and he winced in pain as his head throbbed.

"What the hell?"

"Gladio?" Ignis asked and Prompto could feel him shivering even as he tried to open his eyes a little, to get them reused to daylight.

"The sun was just starting to rise, right?" he asked.

"Yeah," Prompto agreed, glad the shivers were abating.

"So why is it so high in the sky now? Got to be closer to late afternoon."

"That's not possible," Ignis argued but even he could feel the way the light fell on them.

"We…we need to…Noct.." he couldn't say it; couldn't bear to think what they'd find but they had to go and find him. He was their King and they had to look after him, even if it was just caring for his body one last time.

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Cindy went to the door of the garage, staring out in awe even as she shaded her eyes. She glanced towards Insomnia, worried for the four boys. They had really grown up since they had pushed the Regalia into Hammerhead so long ago. She prayed they had all made it through even as she moved to support her Paw-paw so that he could see the light as well.

"He did it, the boy did it," Cid murmured, and she nodded.

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Cor stumbled, falling to a knee even as his body shook with shivers. He looked around in confusion, seeing everyone else also disorientated and freezing cold. It was bright…too bright. He looked outside and saw daylight. They'd done it…Noctis had done it.

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Harry opened his eyes and then lowered the ice body to the ground carefully, finding that it straightened out like flesh and blood would. Ron moved in with healing potions at the ready, all three of them watching the body carefully. "There!" Harry indicated where the sword had impaled him and sure enough, the skin was beginning to revert to flesh, bright red blood beginning to stain the skin. Ron went to work immediately, better to ensure the patient would be on the way to healing and out of pain before he woke up. Harry shifted so that the ice cold head was resting on his thighs as he knelt on the dais, so that he would know he wasn't alone when he began waking up. Plus the ground was hard and if he jerked or anything they didn't want him bashing his head on the stone floor. They would move him to the makeshift hospital once Ron deemed it safe to move him.

Ron and Hermione worked together with the ease of long time practice, her handing Ron what he needed before he even asked.

Harry focused on watching as blue tinted ice shifted into golden skin and a fancy black suit. As the transformation moved down it revealed an ornate golden brace on one leg and Harry made a mental note to get Ron to see if he could do anything about that once the guy was stable. As his hands changed, Harry took them in his, gripping lightly in case he was in away aware, letting him know he wasn't alone. He could feel callouses from weapons handling, likely swords which was interesting. It moved up his throat and Harry watched it move as if he was trying to swallow. "It's okay, you're going to be alright," he whispered in an ice ear. He kept up the soft encouragement, fingers gently stroking warm hands, feeling fingers twitch in his own. He watched as a scraggly beard thawed, lips, then the nose….deep blue eyes widened, lips parting as he gasped for air. "Shh…" he leant over to let the King see him better. "It's okay, you're safe. It's almost over," Harry promised and then he felt the weight of ice replaced by the lesser, warmer, weight of a human head. "Ron?"

"Wounds stabilised. We can move him," Ron answered, grinning when dazed blue eyes moved to focus on him. "Hey. You're lucky, the blade missed most of your major internal organs. You'll be back on your feet before you know it," he promised.

"I'm going to lift you up now," Harry warned, sliding out from under him to carefully lift him into his arms. With all the magic used on his wounds, plus to melt him, it was safer to carry him physically than use a spell. He had just turned to head down the stairs when the doors slammed open to reveal three men…the three from the outside stairs.

"Noct!" the blonde yelled, lifting a gun.

In response the man in Harry's arms stirred slightly, trying to turn his head and Harry shifted his grip, helping him.

The blondes eyes went wide, the gun dropping down. "Noct?" he whispered, only the security spells they'd set up during their stay allowing them to hear him.

Harry moved down the stairs with the older man in his arms, settling him on the bed Ron had set up and the redhead went to work as Harry put himself between the two groups, empty hands up. The last thing they needed right now was a fight.

"What is happening?" one of the men asked and Harry focused on him, seeing the opaque visor over his eyes and the scarring. Was he blind? It seemed likely.

"Three strangers, two male, one female. They have Noct but...I swear Ignis, I saw him move when Prompto called his name."

"My name is Harry, the redhead is Ron, and the girl is Hermione," he offered calmly, not wanting things to escalate. "And yes, he is alive. Are you his friends?"

"Of course we are! I'm his Shield," the biggest growled and Harry stared at him in confusion.

"Shield? You called him Noct, is that his name?"

"Are you serious?" the blonde demanded with wide eyes. "How can you not know who he is?"

"We're…not exactly from around here," Harry shrugged.

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Ignis listened closely to the young man who was speaking. He did not recognise his accent which was strange. Was it possible? Could Noctis truly be alive? He stepped forward; hand slightly outstretched. "Where is he?" he had to feel it for himself.

"This way," the young man called, and he followed his voice, he had adapted to a world of darkness before anyone else, because for him it was permanent. His foot nudged some debris and he shifted his course a little. "Do you need any help?" There was no pity or scorn in his voice which was nice, just a genuine sounding concern. "We've had to set some things up in here to make it liveable over the last few months."

Ignis hesitated, but then nodded. "Very well, thank you." He held his hand out and then an arm linked with his and he was lead around several objects before they stopped and the stranger, Harry, guided his hand out and down. He felt the rich fabric of Kingly raiment under his fingers, before he pulled his glove up and moved up the material until he felt warm flesh, running his hand up until he found the column of his throat, pressing lightly to feel a slow but steady pulse. "Noctis…" he whispered in shock and relief. His King lived. He ran his fingers up, through the sparse facial hair to trace his features, something he hadn't had the chance to do before. then the brow under his fingers furrows slightly and he hears a harsh swallow. "Are…is he conscious?" he asked, turning his head to where he could feel someone.

"Mostly," was the answer in a similar accent to Harry's, male, so that meant it was Ron. "I gave him a pretty potent painkiller though so he's pretty out of it. Repairing a hole literally through his upper abdomen takes time and he definitely doesn't need to feel it. And the whole thawing part seems to have knocked him about as well."

"Thawing?" he demanded, what did they mean?

"You don't know?' a gentle, feminine voice asked in concern.

"Know what?" Prompto asked, sounding closer so they must have followed him over.

"We found him, pinned to the throne by a sword…and he was frozen solid. He liked like the world's best made ice statue. So did you three on the stairs," she answered.

"I went exploring, all I ever found was ice statues instead of people. When I touched the sword the first time a woman appeared, she was white and pretty much naked. She said that he gave his life to bring back the light but that the world wouldn't have been able to handle a human population for long. She asked us to free the King and free everyone," Harry explained.

"That's…" Gladio trailed off.

"Crazy?" Ron offered. "Okay, I've done what I can for now. The wound is healing but he'll be sore for a while."

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At those words Prompto moved in to gently take his best friends hand. He looked down at him to see partially open eyes, though they looked rather unfocused. "Hey Noct, can you hear me?" he called nervously and Noctis slowly shifted his gaze to look at him. "Hey," he whispered, managing a shaky smile and then he felt the hand in his shift a bit, so he squeezed. "We're here buddy. You were hurt pretty badly, so get some sleep." He stroked his other hand through messy black hair and grinned as Noctis' eyes slid shut.

"Should we give him an elixir?" Ignis offered.

"What's that?" the redhead, Ron, asked. He was obviously the medic in the group.

"A curative which heals and restores magic."

"Better not to mix an unknown in with what I've already given him," Ron answered. He ran a final scan and moved away to clean the blood from his hands. "Harry clean or change your shirt will ya?" he called and the dark haired one looked down even as they looked over, everyone seeing the blood on it.

"Ah, right." He ran a hand down his shirt and Prompto gaped as the blood vanished. Magic couldn't do that…could it?

Who was he anyway? Only the Royal family could use magic…though….he did kind of look like Noct. King Regis had green eyes too and had black hair when he was young…was this Harry a Lucis Caelum? That was a concern, since they'd gotten into this mess thanks to an unknown relation. If Ardyn had been two thousand years old, could he have had kids? But surely his kids or descendants would want revenge for his death, so why heal Noctis? "Who are you? How can you do that? Magic doesn't do that…does it?" He shifted more protectively in front of his sleeping King even as Gladio moved up, reaching out to touch his arm, checking for himself that Noctis really was alive. Prompto gasped as he felt a flash, almost like an electric shock and then he fell to his knees, hearing the others do the same. Had it been a trap? He tried to move but his world went black. He didn't see the three strangers staring in shock before moving in to check on them.

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"What the bloody hell?" Ron snarled, immediately beginning scans on them.

Harry gently rolled the blind young man over, staring down at changed features, seeing how the well-fitting uniform was now a bit looser in places….because he had lost muscle mass. "It looks like they took a de-aging potion." He gently removed the visor to see the scarring better, noticing one eye was kept shut by it. He went to Ron's kit and pulled out a vial of clear liquid.

"Harry?"

"It's worth a shot, the wounds look pretty new now," he answered, removing the stopper and gently dripping the liquid over the scars and his eyes, gently opening the one he could to place a drop right on the eyeball before closing it and gently rubbing the closed lid to spread it. He watched, grinning as the scarring began to lessen, allowing him to open the other eye and repeat the procedure. Even if it didn't restore his sight, at least the scarring was massively reduced. What could have caused it that Phoenix tears had trouble healing?

"It happened when they all touched the King," Ron muttered as he scanned them.

"And it happened to the King as well," Harry offered, leaning over the treatment table. All trace of facial hair was gone, his features softer. "I'd guess they're our age now, or close to it."

"Scans say the blind one is twenty two, the blond is twenty and the big guy is twenty three."

"You know, we never did get their names," Hermione commented as she levitated the three and slipped some bedding beneath them.

"Looks like that lady gave them another gift huh?" Harry put the vial back in the kit. "Hungry?"

"For your cooking mate? Always?" Ron grinned and they all laughed but Harry went about making lunch, leaving aside enough for the four currently sleeping.

_TBC…_

_I still haven't decided on the pairings. _


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: not mine_

_People seem to want the trio together and the guys, or even all 7 of them mixing together at various levels of relationships. _

**Chapter 3**

Ignis woke slowly, head throbbing, body aching, nothing he wasn't used to after a decade of almost non-stop fighting. He blinked up at the hazy ceiling above him…it looked familiar…he lifted a hand to rub his eyes and froze…he could see the ceiling….he bolted upright, blinking in the light, eyes watering.

"Easy," a gentle voice called and then the light dimmed.

Ignis stared at the blurry figure in front of him, trying to make sense of senses he had been without for so long. His vision slowly began to focus, and he saw a young man with dark hair and dark green eyes, a faded scar on his forehead. "I…" how was this possible.

"Nice deep breaths, take your time. I don't know how old the injuries were, but it might take a little while for your mind to adjust," the young man offered and Ignis realised he recognised the voice, the young man who had led him to Noctis…Harry. He recognised where he was, the Citadel throne room. "I don't know how much vision you'll have, there's still some scarring."

"How…is this possible?" he asked and then his hand went to his throat, his voice…he sounded…like he had back when this all started.

"Noticed, huh? Yeah, as soon as all three of you touched him, you passed out and now you look about the same age as us, all four of you. As to your eyes, once you were younger, the wounds were fresh, so we did our best to heal them."

Ignis stared at him in shock, he could vaguely remember Prompto frantically breaking an elixir over his face while he was struggling to remain conscious before the altar, then a hi-potion or three once they were in the hotel, nothing had helped. So how had they done this? He glanced around, finding Prompto and Gladio beside him, looking as he remembered them from before he lost his vision. "Noctis, where is he?"

"That's his name?" Harry asked.

"How can you not know the King?" Ignis demanded and the young man shrugged.

"We're not exactly from around here," he answered. "And he's in the tent, Ron wanted to monitor him more closely. Hungry? You've been unconscious for a few days."

Ignis nodded, looking around and finally he spotted the tent, or at least he thought it was, his distance vision was definitely worse. Harry got up and then returned with a bowl of warm stew.

"Not sure how much you remember, but I'm Harry, Harry James Potter. Never caught your names."

"Ignis Scientia. The other blonde is Prompto Argentum, then Gladiolus Amicitia. Our King is Noctis Lucis Caelum CXIV, King of Lucis. While Noctis may have spent the last decade within the Crystal, his family has ruled Lucis for two thousand years, how can you not know of the family?"

"When I said we aren't from around here, I meant that. we've been here a few months and I've done some exploring while Ron and Hermione were working out how to thaw your King without killing him. This world is nothing like our home, this city is the closest you get to anything like back home. The animal species here are very different too, never seen anything like them."

"Are there many out there? Surely after a decade of night, most plants and animals outside of the safe areas are dead?"

"It's wild out there, untouched wilderness other than one largish town and then some smaller settlements, like the one not far from here. I'm guessing you guys were frozen for a long time for the world to recover this much form what you're describing," Harry told him and Ignis wasn't sure what to think.

They had been frozen? That sounded like Shiva's intervention, but why? How had she saved Noctis? The tale he was being told seemed very farfetched and yet… he sensed no deception in Harry. He heard a moan and glanced over to see Prompto stirring.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Harry left Ignis with his stirring friends, slipping into the tent to find Hermione asleep and Ron watching his patient. "How is he?"

"Healing well. It's odd, the blind guys wounds changed with his age, but this guy still has a hole through him, though almost healed now."

"Blind guy's name is Ignis Scientia. This is King Noctis Lucis Caelum CXIV. Blondie is Prompto Argentum and the big guy is Gladiolus Amicitia."

"Interesting names," Hermione offered sleepily form the couch. "All very Latin and laden with meaning."

Harry nodded, looking down at the sleeping King, though at the age he had regressed to, he had likely been a Prince at that point. How would the populace react to a King so much younger than he should be? And why had it happened? They had far more questions than answers and he knew it made all of them wary. Where they stuck in this world? Or was there a way home?

"Why do you think we were brought here? I mean, why us specifically?"

"It may be we weren't, that whatever brought us here simply grabbed the first person or people it could that fit certain criteria needed to wake the King. Harry may not like admitting it, but he is the most powerful wizard since Merlin in terms of raw power, I doubt the universe has many who can match him. we may have been collateral. Or it was looking for a Healer of Ron's skill level…who knows."

"The other option is someone was watching us and wanted us here," Ron sighed.

A knock sounded on the tent flap and Hermione pulled it back, letting the three men in only for them to freeze and look around in confusion. "Never seen a magical tent before?" she asked innocently, hiding a smile and Harry rolled his eyes at her, not many people got to see her playful.

The youngest looking shook off his shock and scurried to the bed. "Noct," he whispered, reaching out to take a limp hand.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Prompto clutched Noctis' hand, feeling the warmth of his skin, the warmth of life. Somehow, Noct had survived the coming of the dawn, he didn't care how or why. He felt the fingers in his twitch, and he leant over him, wanting Noctis to see a friend first. "Hey buddy, gonna sleep forever?" he managed a slightly teasing tone even as he bit back a sob of relief and ever so slowly dark blue eyes fluttered open. He moaned softly, head lolling on the pillow as he struggled to really wake up. "That's it, rise and shine." The hand in his suddenly was clutching at his as Noctis focused on him, eyes wide. "Welcome back your Majesty."

Noctis' lips parted, tongue licking them to moisten them and Prompto found the redhead offering him a cup of water. He took it and then freed his hand to help Noctis lift his head so he could sip the water. "P…Prom?"

"It's me Noct, you did it, you beat him and brought back the sun. And you lived through it, don't know how but you did."

"Not dead?"

"Nope," he managed a shaky smile, leaning down to press his forehead to his best friends. "Thought we'd lost you for good," he admitted. "Should have known better than to ever doubt you." He fought back tears and then he felt shaky fingers run through his hair.

"M'here," Noctis murmured. "Iggy? Gladio?"

"They're here, we all made it," he promised as Noctis started trying to push himself up.

"Hey, I just finished healing the hole through you, no moving just yet," the redhead spoke up sternly.

Noctis frowned at him in confusion. "Who?"

"Ron Weasley, nice to see you conscious and aware. I just need to do some checks, alright?"

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

He could hear a voice, calling him and he struggled to reach it, to leave the darkness and finally he was blinking up at a familiar face.

"Welcome back your Majesty," Prompto told him and he stared with wide eyes at his best friend.

He licked his lips, wanting to respond but his mouth was utterly dry and then Prompto was supporting his head, helping him drink and the water tasted better than anything he'd had in a long time. He felt so confused, had he been injured on a hunt? "P…Prom?" he finally managed to get out.

"It's me Noct, you did it, you beat him and brought back the sun. And you lived through it, don't know how but you did," Prompto quickly reassured him.

The dawn? And then it hit him, Providence, Ardyn, the Astrals….a decade lost in the crystal. "Not dead?" he asked, maybe they had both died?

"Nope," Prom gave a shaky smile, leaning down to press his forehead to Noctis' and he revelled in the pain free contact. "Thought we'd lost you for good," he admitted. "Should have known better than to ever doubt you."

He could see the tears Prompto was trying to fight with their faces so close and he forced a heavy, clumsy, arm up to shakily run his fingers through wild blonde hair. "M'here," he promised softly. "Iggy? Gladio?"

"They're here, we all made it," Prompto was quick to assure him.

Noctis got his arms under himself, trying to push himself up, needing to see them, to see the light for himself.

"Hey, I just finished healing the hole through you, no moving just yet," an unfamiliar, stern, voice called and then a redhead stepped into view. He had almost as many freckles as Prom did and bright blue eyes. He was a little taller than Prompto, his hair falling to just beneath his collar. The most important bit though was that he was a stranger and he found himself frowning. "Who?"

"Ron Weasley, nice to see you conscious and aware. I just need to do some checks, alright?"

Noctis glanced at Prompto, seeing him watch the redhead, there was no alarm but some slight wariness. Prompto saw him looking and smiled at him, taking his hand again and he squeezed Prom's fingers. "Checks?"

"You were impaled on a sword, I just want to make sure there is no brain damage from lack of oxygen when you were frozen," Weasley told him and Noctis nodded, that sounded okay. "Full name and date of birth to start."

Noctis swallowed and Prompto gave him some more water. "Noctis Lucis Caelum. August 30th, M.E. 735."

Ron looked at Prompto who nodded that it was right. "Good so far, long term memory seems intact. And you recognise your friend there, also good." The redhead moved closer. "Just want a look at the wound," he offered quietly, lifting up his shirt and Noctis realised he wasn't in his own clothing but something soft and warm. He tried to look and then Prompto's hands were under his shoulders, helping him lift up enough to see a red line in his upper abdomen. "The sword went right through you, but missed the major organs thankfully. Now then, short term memory, what's the last thing you remember?" he lowered the shirt, taking his wrist, obviously checking his pulse.

Noctis closed his eyes, forcing himself to focus, what had happened? A sword…the dawn… "Ardyn, we were fighting. He died… came back to the Citadel…" Then what? "Dad…saw Dad…called the Lucii…it hurt," he whispered, and he felt his hand being squeezed.

"Easy Noct, it's over," Prompto whispered and then his other hand was being taken and Noctis turned his head.

"Iggy," he whispered.

"We're here Noctis, you just focus on getting better," Ignis smiled at him and something seemed….different.

"Your eyes…"

"Ah, yes, thanks to these people my sight has been restored, though my distance vision is rather limited," Ignis explained.

Noctis could see the scarring on his face, much less than there had been, his eye no longer sealed shut and both once again the green he'd known his whole life. It wasn't just that though, the Kingsglaive uniform that had fit perfectly…didn't now. He looked at Prompto, seeing the lack of facial hair and his uniform was loose too. They looked…younger? "What?"

"Don't look at us, last thing I remember is feeling a jolt like electricity then nothing till I woke up like this. You're the same Noct, you look like you did before the Crystal," Prompto told him.

Noctis lifted a hand to his face, feeling smooth skin instead of the straggly facial hair he had woken in the future with. His head was feeling clearer the longer he was awake. Which should be impossible, he had died, he had gone into death willingly to end the threat of the Scourge forever, to give his ancestors brother peace at last. If he was somehow alive, what did that mean for Ardyn and the Scourge? He wasn't in any pain which was nice considering how he'd died. He tried to sit up again only to find both Prompto and Ignis reaching out to help him, and then he felt a solid body behind him, supporting him and he recognised it immediately, leaning against him to press his head against his chest. With his friends around him he felt safe and secure.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Harry hissed suddenly and his friends focused on him.

"Harry?" Hermione called, bringing everyone's attention to him.

"Someone just tripped my perimeter wards," he answered, closing his eyes. "The intent wards are undisturbed, so they don't have bad intentions."

"Wards?" Ignis asked, looking between them as Harry opened his eyes.

"Protective magic," he answered. "They're on foot so we have maybe half an hour till they reach us." At his words the young King began struggling to his feet, his friends trying to get him to remain on the bed.

Ron sighed but nodded and Hermione quickly gathered the clothing she had mended and cleaned, holding it out. "Just let at least one of them help you dress," the Healer told him sternly. You can get up but nothing strenuous for another day," he warned, and the King nodded.

"Bathroom's the middle door if you want a shower," Harry offered.

"Sounds good," King Noctis offered him a small smile and Harry smiled back.

"I want to check that leg later," Ron called after the limping King as Gladiolus helped him to the bathroom.

"His leg is uninjured," Ignis told him. "His back was injured when he was a child and he nearly died. It has had lasting effects."

"Hmm…" Ron frowned, and Harry knew why, spinal injuries were tricky, even for magicals and the wound was far too old for phoenix tears to heal.

He slipped out of the tent and went to ensure the camp was secure, intent wards were not fool proof after all. He then went to the windows to look out on the street for their visitors. He smiled as a slender arm slipped around his waist and turned his head to look down at Hermione as she rested against him.

"You like him," she murmured.

"Oh?"

"The King, you're drawn to him."

"There's something about him, like he'd understand," Harry admitted softly.

"So go for it, once he's free from Ron's tender mercies and fully back on his feet anyway. He is definitely cute."

"And he's likely got a Princess waiting for him somewhere, or one of his friends," Harry pointed out, kissing the top of her head.

"But if he doesn't?" she grinned up at him. "I think you'd look cute together. Not like we'd mind if you did."

"Or brought him in?" Harry smirked and she laughed, leaning up to brush her lips against his. He smiled and then ran a hand through wild black hair, pushing it back and she tutted, tying it back at the nape of his neck.

"That could be a lot of fun…and here comes our visitor."

They turned back to the view, watching as a man in black walked towards the building they were in.

_TBC…_


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: Not mine_

_So it's the golden trio together and the 4 guys together. Though I've been asked to mix them up too, which works with Harry and Hermione's discussion last chapter, it won't be a big part of the storyline though. _

**Chapter 4**

Prompto quickly stripped off his now too big uniform before helping Noct out of the medical clothes and then into the shower. It took him a few seconds to work the controls out and then he gently began washing him. Noctis leant back, eyes closed, enjoying the warmth of the water and Prompto's gentle ministrations. Had Noct even had a shower since the Crystal spat him out? "Okay?" He asked and Noct opened his eyes, smiling slightly.

"Feels nice."

"If we had more time I'd make it feel even better," he grinned cheekily and Noctis chuckled.

"Think that'd knock me back out," he admitted, managing a tired grin. "Definitely don't miss that fuzz," he reached out to touch Prompto's chin and he pouted before moving to wash Noctis' hair for him. "Can do that bit," he offered.

"I want to, let's not stretch anything just yet. And I liked my fuzz!" he carefully washed and conditioned Noct's hair for him, having to move an arm around his waist to support him as he flagged. As the last of it washed free of Noct's hair, Prompto leant his forehead against his shoulder, pressing a soft kiss to warm, wet skin. "I've missed you so much," he choked out, fighting tears and then Noctis was turning slowly, wrapping his arms around Prompto's waist, leaning against him before pressing a chaste kiss to his lips.

"I'm here, don't know how, but I'm here," Noctis promised.

Prompto nodded and turned the water off, grabbing a towel each and settling Noctis down on a handy bench in the bathroom. He quickly dried off and redressed before moving to help Noctis, easily settling the brace into place and securing it, having to adjust it slightly for Noctis' altered, younger, body. And it hit him, no Wall or Ring to drain his life away like his Dad's, to make his childhood injuries worse and worse until he needed a walking stick or even a wheelchair. These people had managed to partially restore Iggy's sight, could they do something for Noct? "Ready?" he asked and Noctis nodded so Prompto stood and offered his hands which Noctis took, letting him help pull him up, sliding an arm around his waist to be safe. They left to find Iggy and Gladio alone in the tent, talking quietly. They looked over, Ignis squinting and then both stood and bowed before smiling.

"Knock it off guys," Noctis muttered, nudging Prompto to keep going so they left the tent to find the three at a window.

Harry looked over at them and grinned. "Very spiffy."

"A pity we don't have our old uniforms, at least they would fit," Ignis admitted.

"I can resize those for you," he offered.

"Resize?" Gladio asked.

"Shrink them to fit perfectly."

"Thank you," Noctis said and Harry nodded, his fingers twitching and Prompto jolted as he felt the material shift around him and then it felt right.

"Wow," he grinned. "Thanks."

"No problem. Out visitor is coming right up the main street, you guys know him?" Harry asked so they went to the window and looked down.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"Cor," Noctis breathed in relief. They'd told him Cor had survived but seeing him made it real. He couldn't make out any detail, but he knew how the Marshal moved, he'd known him his whole life. It made sense that he'd be the first one to come looking for them.

"Okay, you need to eat something and then I want to take a look at that old wound," Ron told him firmly and Noctis stared at him for a second before nodding. Maybe that was why he felt so weak, he needed food. Prompto helped him over to the camp and helped him sit in front of the fire…which wasn't producing smoke. He watched as Harry put together a plate and mug, bringing them over.

"Mug's soup," he offered and Noctis took it in both hands, lifting it to his mouth and taking a cautious sip, closing his eyes as flavour burst over his tongue, forcing himself to swallow slowly, knowing better than to rush his first meal in who knew how long. His last meal had been rations, caused by a lack of food growing in the dark. This was….he heard a feminine laugh and opened his eyes to see the woman…Hermione, smiling at him.

"Harry's cooking is wonderful, isn't it?"

Noctis nodded, taking another sip and then another until it was all gone, waiting a few minutes before accepting the plate from Prompto, finding a simple sandwich waiting. Once he was done eating, Ron approached and Noctis turned, raising his clothes slowly to reveal the mess of scars.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Cor walked through the silent city, so many memories of happier days… trying not to think of the duty he was walking towards. He had buried one King, had been absent for another…and now a third. He wished he had been in Hammerhead that day, to see the man he had become, but it was not meant to be. All he could do was pray his death had been as quick and painless as possible, though he doubted it.

It had taken him days to reach the city which had been rather confusing. One minute the world had been trapped in darkness, the land desolate, and now it was a wilderness of plants and animals. Roads were overgrown, though it seemed the bases were clear, and anything outside of them looked as if it had been many years since humans had done anything, cars were rusted ruins, the transmission towers collapsed…none of it made sense. The city appeared untouched as well, the damage what he expected form the various reports he'd heard post attack.

He was wondering how many bodies he would be collecting; he hadn't passed the boys and they hadn't returned to Hammerhead. They had changed so much since Noctis disappeared and he was wondering if maybe…the idea of living on without him…

He stopped and stared up at the Citadel…was that movement? He knew those windows, the Throne room. Was someone still alive? He walked up the stairs, wincing as his knees complained, he was not getting any younger, he'd turned fifty five this year. He was getting too old for all of this, though Cid would glare at him for that, he was still going strong at eighty seven. It was wrong, none of them had dreamed of outliving Noctis, he knew Cid hadn't wanted to outlive Regis either.

He pushed the main door open and slipped inside, it was utterly silent, deserted but then…in the dust were footprints. Some coming in through the doors like he had, imprints of standard issue boots but there were three other sets that were not, one set he would say belonged to either someone young or female due to the size. That had him even more on guard, sword in hand. The elevators were dark, dead with no power, so he pushed aside the panel hiding the emergency stairs and headed up, not taking the public access ones for safety if those footprints belonged to looters or some such group. He finally made it up and found the door to the Throne room ajar. He readied himself then peered in, spotting a tent and campsite and then his heart leapt into his throat as he spotted a head of familiar bright blonde hair, helping another figure walk around…one dressed in Royal Raiment and walking with a limp….it wasn't possible.

"Will you be joining us Marshal?" Ignis' voice reached him, and he stepped cautiously inside, the younger man's senses were exceptional to make up for his blindness. Inside the room he spotted Gladio and Ignis, sitting down and looking his direction…and three strangers by the windows.

"Your Majesty?" Cor called and the two turned to him, shocking him as he took in his King, unchanged from a decade ago.

"Cor," Noctis smiled at him, looking tired but alive and healthy.

And then he took a good look at Prompto and frowned, he had seen him not even a month ago, he'd had a goatee and more muscle mass, in fact…he too looked as he had when this all started and another look at the other two showed the same thing. Was Ignis actually looking at him, not just in his direction. "How? What happened to all of you?" he demanded warily. Was this all a trick of Izunia's? He'd heard their reports himself of the man's powers.

"The Astrals," Ignis answered, standing slowly to approach and Cor took in how carefully he moved, seeing the scars as he got close enough, still there but lessened and his eye was no longer sealed shut, both eyes the green he remembered form before the injuries. "When we all touched Noctis we were knocked out, it felt like an electric shock, when we woke we were like this."

"An electric shock, Ramuh?"

"That would be my assumption. Have you wondered about the vegetation and animal life?"

"Of course?"

"According to our new friends, they arrived to find Noctis pinned by his Father's sword to the Throne, frozen solid. They saw us on the stairs, also apparently ice statues. When Harry," he indicated one of the men, "touched the sword Shiva appeared. She froze all of humanity so that the planet would have time to recover."

It was unbelievable and yet…it also made sense, at least freezing the people did. It would explain why he had been so cold, how it had suddenly been afternoon and the state of the world outside their safe bases. "How can you live?" He asked Noctis who shrugged.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"I don't know, I remember dying, defeating Ardyn in the beyond and then I was waking up here." That was hazy, like he had sort of woken once before, freezing cold which was likely when they had freed him, but it was too hazy to really focus on, except for a gentle, male voice and green eyes, which had to have been Harry. He could understand her somehow saving his body, but returning his soul and intact when he remembered shattering? He doubted he'd ever know, or maybe he would when he died again.

"Are you injured?"

"Just tired and sore, I did have a sword through me," he managed a tiny smile, even as he tried not to remember his Dad's anguish as he drove that sword into him. it had been cruel, to make him be the last one to strike, but they had attacked in order, leaving him no choice. And in a way he was glad, that it had been his Dad, even hidden by armour, that had been his last mortal sight. He glanced over at the three who had saved them all and motioned them forward. "Cor Leonis, this is Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, they're from another world," he introduced and yeah, seeing Cor's jaw actually drop made his year.

_TBC…_

_I am swamped with papers so you can either have the occasional short update to things, or nothing till the second week of November or so. _


	5. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer: not mine_

_I finished episode Prompto! On easy but still…I suck at shooting! Wasted sooo much ammo trying to hit anything. _

_It's funny, I've read a lot of comments saying Leviathan is practically impossible to summon in a fight, every fight I've had in Insomnia where I can summon, I've summoned her. _

**Chapter 5**

Harry studied the newcomer, definitely a career military man, he would guess in his fifties, maybe early sixties. His brown hair was short, not quite what was a military cut back home, liberally dusted with grey, his eyes looked to be light blue, and he wore the same uniform as the others.

"Another world?" The man was definitely sceptical.

"Another world," Hermione confirmed as they moved away from the windows and back to the camp.

The man, Cor, looked between the seven of them, obviously waiting for the punchline. When Harry moved next to Noctis he gasped, looking between them. "No, we aren't related, it's impossible," Harry stated and yeah, the resemblance was interesting. Though it would make things rather interesting with the way he felt drawn to the young King, then again technically, he was related to Ron, though very distantly. Stupid Pureblood inbreeding.

"How is everything out there?" Noctis asked and Harry moved to begin prepping a meal, poor guy likely hadn't had a hot meal in a while.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Prompto sat, pressed thigh to thigh with Noctis as Harry served a meal. He wanted to say Ignis was the better cook but…he honestly wasn't sure. He glanced guiltily at Ignis who was sitting on his other side, only to catch the wry smile the older man aimed at him, as if sensing his thoughts. It was amazing that Iggy could finally see again, even if nowhere near as well as he could before his injury.

They listened as Cor explained what he had seen on his way back to the city, everything was overgrown, nature having been allowed to grow without restraint. It was going to take a lot of work to get power back, roads, crops….but with no daemons to threaten workers, just animals, it should be easier than the original work, right?

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Harry glanced at the others who nodded, they would help where they could in the rebuilding effort. The city was crumbling due to damage, good thing they had experience fixing buildings thanks to helping repair Hogwarts after the war. The building they were in was in okay condition, at least the parts he'd explored, though he'd seen signs of damage from the outside in other areas of it. But a lot of the surrounding buildings were half collapsed, the streets choked with rubble. It would be magic intensive work, unless Hermione could come up with some runic arrays to either cut the magic needed or to make it cover a larger area at once.

When it became obvious Cor wished to speak of things he didn't want them to hear they excused themselves to get to work.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"Whoa!" Prompto stared out the window and the others quickly joined him, Noct leaning on Gladio.

"What is it?" Ignis asked, unable to see anything beyond a blur.

"I…don't believe it," Gladio muttered.

"The buildings are repairing themselves?" Noct gasped.

Sure enough, before their eyes, rubble was rising into the air, slipping back into place until they couldn't see where the damage had been.

Prompto looked down at the ground, spotting black hair, Harry standing in the middle of the street, arms raised. "I didn't know magic could do that."

"Mine can't," Noctis answered, eyes wide as he watched Harry work.

Prompto looked for the other two, seeing Hermione working on the road, Ron barely in view working on something further down. Part of him…was a little scared, was there nothing there magic couldn't do? How powerful were they? But Shiva had brought them here and she had only ever helped them. Even Noct's magic had scared him at first, being so different to anything he knew.

"Even if only the external damage is being repaired, that will be a massive head start in getting the city habitable again," Ignis offered.

"Does anyone even know how to get the power going again? Sewage?"

"Workers from the Lestallum plant are used to the power provided by the shards, which is not what the city ran on. Let us hope winter is not soon."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"We can focus just on the city, move everyone in here," Noctis tied not to grimace at that thought. How many had survived the decade of night that almost all of them were crammed into Lestallum? They would easily fit within Insomnia as the city was four times larger, maybe even more. He had spoken of coming together as one nation when they were in Gralea, he hadn't meant like this, because so many hadn't made it through. Even adding in whoever may still live in Accordo, the city would be so much emptier than he remembered.

How many had died in the days following the treaty attack? He remembered a city that never slept, streets so full of people they were hard to navigate. Would the world population ever recover to such levels again? At least they could spread out as the population grew, no daemons to worry about. He didn't even know how to go about fixing technology, but it would not be limited to just the city due to the Wall this time. They would build a better society than the one they had before.

Though….would they even want a King anymore? There was no Ring or Crystal, even though he could still feel his magic. It was the magic of his families blood. Could he share that? Should he? There was so much to do, and he didn't know where to start.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

When they returned to the Throne room they were met by silence and looks of awe. Harry grimaced, so they'd seen them working…though even if they hadn't it would have been easy to put together. They left and then buildings were repaired.

Noctis stepped forward, without anyone to steady him, blue eyes meeting green. "I don't know how your magic is so different, but thank you."

Huh, he hadn't expected that but when Noctis held his hand out, Harry took it. He fought back a shiver as their magic met, his curling playfully around Noctis', seeing blue eyes widen in surprise. "No problem," he returned, unable to hold in a yawn.

"Food now Mister," Hermione ordered, seeing it and Harry rolled his eyes.

"Yes Mother," he teased, and Ron snorted.

"Are you alright?" Noctis asked.

"Magic takes energy, even for Harry-I mastered the Patronus at thirteen-Potter," Ron answered.

"You got it at fifteen," Harry pointed out.

"Yeah, enough to handle one Dementor, you took out a hundred of the bloody things."

"Sorry Harry, but Ron's right," Hermione kissed his cheek and pushed him down on a chair before pressing a chocolate bar into his hand until an actual meal could be made.

He sighed but ate it. He did know his limits thank you very much. He was nowhere near magical exhaustion yet, but it was best to humour them. Ever since he passed out six months post final battle they tended to hover when he used massive amounts of magic. He had been exploring the world and then powering awakening rituals since they arrived.

"What happens if you use too much magic?" Ignis asked.

"Magical Exhaustion, which can turn nasty if you're not careful. People have died from totally draining their core," Ron explained with a pained grimace. He'd had a case of magical exhaustion after the Riddle's defeat, had been out for almost a week. He'd been fighting and healing and had seriously overdone it while protecting the Hospital Wing from an approaching Greyback. Hermione had seen him go down and…well, Fenrir would never bother anyone ever again.

Harry waved off the horrified looks. "I'm not even close to exhaustion," he promised. "I have been taking rest breaks between anything magic intensive. Popping around the world wasn't very hard. There's only two continents and a bunch of islands. I'm used to seven continents and thousands of islands." That had their eyes widening again in utter shock.

"Seven?" Gladio demanded and three heads nodded in response.

"Trivia Mione, world population?" Ron smirked. It had taken him time to get his head around the figures.

"Over six billion," she answered promptly and then lunged to grab poor Prompto who went rather white and slipped off his seat. The others didn't look much calmer.

"See? Very different world," Harry just shrugged.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Noctis lay on the bed, hearing the sounds of his friends and Cor sleeping around him, feeling Prompto's arm over his hip. The three had insisted they have the tent and bedrooms while they slept out in the throne room. He couldn't sleep though, everything spinning around in his head. Six billion people…he couldn't imagine it.

Then there were the three themselves. Brought here without any say in it, just uprooted form their lives and dropped into a strange world. And what had they done? They had dived into finding a way to wake everyone up, had healed and protected him according to Gladio who said Harry had literally carried him down from the throne and stood between him and his friends when they hadn't known they were his. His magic….Noctis had never felt anything like it, it was even different to what he could feel from the other two, far more powerful, wild...like a powerful storm, but also playful. He was drawn to the other and he didn't know why. Was doing his best to hide it from the others. They'd already been parted for a decade and hadn't really had the chance to talk things over. There'd been the shower with Prompto and now they were sharing a bed, like they'd never been apart. But Talcott had said they rarely met up, had they drifted apart without him? Was he the only reason they had been together in the first place? No…he remembered Prompto's embarrassment over his crush on Ignis, even when they'd been taking the first awkward steps towards something more than just friendship.

They had to talk, they needed the privacy and time to work out what they all wanted going forward. They were physically back to their early twenties now, even if the people wanted the monarchy to remain, he had plenty of time to father an heir once things were settled.

As much as he dreaded doing so, they would need to head for the Royal quarters, see how much damage there was there. Maybe Harry or one of the others could fix anything that was wrong. He wasn't ready to take the King's chambers, but they could move into his, were the boxed he'd packed from his apartment still there, waiting to be unpacked?

He started as a hand reached out to touch his shoulder, looking over at the other bed, able to make out Ignis even in the dark.

"Sleep Noct," he murmured and Noct rolled slightly, taking his hand in his own. He finally fell asleep like that, Prompto pressed tight against his other side.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Ron woke up to find Hermione sleeping with her head over his heart, able to feel Harry's hand on his hip, stretched across her body. Even thrown into a strange world, as long as they were together he knew they'd be fine. He missed his family a lot but…things had been a little strained since his Mum had realised the three shared a bed. She was odd that way, sometimes thinking almost like a muggle on things, others times like a Pureblood Matriarch. Most would look at their relationship and be pleased by Hermione's presence as she could provide children, though her Muggleborn status did keep them upset. The thing was, that wasn't why she was there. She wasn't his and Harry's third. She was his, and she was Harry's. It wasn't like that between him and Harry, yeah, they loved each other, you couldn't go through everything they had together and not. But it wasn't like that, it wasn't brotherly though either. He didn't know a word to describe what they were to each other. They showed affection but they'd never had sex.

So Harry's interest in the young King? It didn't bother him at all, so long as no one got hurt. Hermione wouldn't care either, she'd encourage it. Since the war she'd relaxed a lot which was good for all of them. Then again, Harry was no longer that little ball or rage and despair either. They'd all changed, grown up because when it came down to it, they'd been on their own. He got the feeling the guys were like them in that way…and maybe more from the way they watched their King. Which could make life very complicated, but at least they wouldn't be bored.

_TBC…_

_I could almost leave it there, leave the rest up to your imaginations._


	6. Chapter 6

_Disclaimer: not mine_

**Chapter 6**

Noctis woke up, feeling safe and warm. He blinked up at a tent ceiling and then turned his head, finding Prompto wrapped around him in the bed, Ignis' hand stretched across the gap between the beds to be held in his own. He carefully let go, moving Ignis' arm to rest on the bed. He then began carefully disentangling himself from Prompto the leech, not wanting to wake him but he really needed the bathroom. He got up carefully and was relieved to find the pain from the stab wound was gone and he was feeling stronger. He shuffled out of the bedroom and into the bathroom.

When done, he moved out of the tent to find Harry sitting before the smokeless fire, preparing breakfast. He looked up and grinned at him, waving him over so Noctis moved to join him.

"You're looking better this morning."

"I feel better," he agreed, accepting the offered mug.

"I'm glad," Harry smiled and Noctis fiddled with the mug before taking a drink.

"You…. you were there," Noctis whispered.

"Where?" he asked gently, leaning forward.

"It was freezing cold…a voice…. green eyes," he answered.

"Sounds like when you thawed out. The process was gradual, working out from the wound. I had your head pillowed on my lap in case you jerked around and once your hands thawed, I held them, we didn't know if you were aware and wanted to let you know you weren't alone. I talked to you in case you could hear and then when it was done you appeared conscious but severely dazed."

"Thank you," Noctis told him seriously. "You were taken without your consent from your world and dumped here to fix a problem that had nothing to do with you. You could have chosen to attempt to return home rather than help." It was what most would have done. He liked to think he would have done as these three had and tried to help.

"It was the right thing to do," Harry answered and Noct smiled.

"That doesn't mean it is what anyone would do," he countered, and Harry nodded slowly. "I don't know what will happen now, if the people will wish to continue the monarchy considering it's been over a decade since my...my Father was killed. King or not, you and your friends will have a place with us, whether you are stuck here forever or not," he swore, it was the least he could do. If he was truly King, then he would make sure they had anything they wished in thanks.

Harry smiled at him. "Thank you," he offered.

The tent flap lifted, revealing a concerned Prompto who relaxed on seeing him and Noctis felt guilty for slipping away. He held his hand out to him and Prompto moved quickly to his side, taking his hand. "Sorry for worrying you. I'm alright Prom," he promised.

"I thought…." Prompto took a shaky breath and Harry got up, moving away to give them privacy.

He pulled Prompto in close, running a hand through soft blonde hair. "Hey, I'm here and I'm not going anywhere," he swore. "I needed the bathroom and noticed Harry was up, so I came out to talk to him. You looked like you needed the sleep."

"Which is crazy since we spent so long literally frozen and then knocked out to be de-aged," Prompto muttered.

"Not the same as sleep," Noct shrugged.

"You're really okay?"

"No pain and I'm moving okay," he assured him.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Harry moved away to give the two privacy, seeing Hermione and Ron had gotten up but had left them to talk so he went to join them. Hermione smiled at him and then glanced back, and Harry looked as well, seeing Noctis and Prompto leaning against each other, foreheads pressed together. He'd suspected as much and they looked good together. He caught the sad look Hermione shot him and he smiled at her. He'd assumed Noctis already had someone, the feeling towards him was likely a reaction between their magic and the similarities between them.

Soon the whole group was sitting around eating breakfast, the locals dressed for the days. Once done eating the trio headed in to shower and dress. They dressed casually, jeans a shirts with sturdy shoes since they planned to keep working on repairs.

Cor looked at them and then the group of young men. "I doubt it will be much longer before others arrive to see what has happened. It would be best to see what can be done in the Citadel before then, get settled in rather than camping in here."

Harry saw Noctis tense at his words. It seemed Cor thought Noctis would rule as King, or at least live in the building, even if Noctis wasn't as sure of his position. "How big is this place?" he asked to take the attention from the young again Royal.

"The Citadel is rather massive as it serves as not just the residence of the Royal family but the seat of government, including the various forces such as the Crownsguard," Ignis answered.

"So it'd be best to split up," Hermione offered, and he nodded.

"The Royal Wing is large enough to house us all, but it would be good to have access to other areas, especially the medical wing and records."

"Ron?"

"Sure, if someone can show me where I can take a look."

"I'll take whatever record area," Hermione immediately volunteered, making them both laugh and earning them each a playful slap up the back of the head from her, making the others laugh.

"Guess that leaves living quarters to me. So however you guys want to split up to show us around? I know there seemed to be a lot of damage from the outside?"

"I can show you to the various record halls, without power nothing computerised will be available though," Ignis offered and Hermione nodded. "As to the amount of damage…" he looked at Cor.

"Citadel took the brunt of the early fighting during the invasion. Bombs were set off outside as well. The rest is likely from daemons since then and your fight against Ardyn," Cor answered.

Gladio glanced at Noctis, one eyebrow raised in question and Noctis shook his head slightly. "Remember where the Royal Wing is Prom?" he asked and Prompto thought it over before nodding. "Then I'll show Ron where the medical wing is. Cor and Noct can have fun talking about the boring stuff."

It was easy to tell that there was a reason Noctis didn't want to go to the Wing yet and Harry wondered what had happened there, or what might be there he wasn't ready to see yet. He stood up and stretched before looking at Prompto. "Lead on," he offered.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Prompto squeezed Noct's hand, getting a small smile in return and then Noct leant in and kissed him, shocking him. "Noct?" he stared at him and then at Cor. They'd always been so careful to not let anyone else know! Ignis and Gladio may be overlooked due to their own positions but he was an adopted immigrant kid of no standing…who was actually a clone for the MT program and some people knew that now thanks to some older Imperial refugees freaking out when they saw him since he looked a bit like his donor as a young man. No one would ever agree to him being more than Noct's Retainer. Cor…didn't look at all surprised.

"King Regis, Clarus, and I all suspected," he admitted. "We'd never say anything though to ensure the Council remained in the dark."

"Oh," he whispered. He'd barely known Cor back then, finding out he'd been the one to save him from the Magitek Facility as a baby had been a shock, but it also explained part of why the Marshal had taken personal interest in his training with the Crownsguard. It had also explained a few odd occurrences when he was younger, the man had kept a distant eye on him his whole life. He'd also stepped in the one-time there'd been trouble after the refugees had outed him, ensuring no one would give him trouble.

"I'm lost," the redhead, Ron, said, looking between them.

"Honestly Ronald," the woman shook her head. "He's a King, which means being involved with another male is likely frowned upon due to dynastic concerns. Or perhaps Prompto is not politically important enough for this Council to agree even if children aren't the issue."

"Oh. That sucks…" Ron or Ronald offered awkwardly even as his friend shook his head.

"Come on, before Ron manages to put his foot in his mouth, again. One of his many talents," Harry grinned, and Ron snorted but grinned.

Prompto looked at Noctis who nodded, so he stood and walked over to Harry, leading him out of the Throne Room. "We'll have to take the long way with no power."

"Sure," Harry answered as they headed for the emergency stairs. "Sorry, if Ron brought up anything upsetting."

"It's okay…" he hadn't been expecting that. "We've always had to hide because of who Noctis is. If he was anyone else, it'd be fine, but he needs an heir and none of us can give him one."

"So it's all four of you then? I wasn't sure, the two of you have been pretty open about touching but not the others." He twitched his hand and the rubble in front of them leapt up and returned to the walls, clearing their path.

"Yeah," he glanced at Harry as they walked. "I know it's unusual, but it works for us."

"Is it? Huh."

"It's not where you're from?"

"Depends, among magicals, no. Among the general population, well it's still illegal for two of the same gender in a lot of places, and marriage is still between two people."

"You have separate laws depending on if you have magic?"

"We live separately, hidden alongside them. We didn't used to, but humans fear what they do not understand. Eventually, it was decided to hide rather than fight. Not that hiding hasn't caused its own sets of troubles."

Prompto listened, interested. What would it have been like to grow up in a hidden society? He paused in a hallway and Harry stilled beside him as he tried to figure out the best route. "Um…"

"What is it?"

"I've only been to the Royal Wing a few times and never from the Throne Room," he admitted.

"Huh, it seemed like you've known him a long time though."

"Yeah, but Noct moved into an apartment in the city for high school, we only moved him back in here just before we left the city. And it took a while for me to be cleared to come here." He checked the halls again and then picked what he was pretty sure was the right one. "So…four's not weird for you?" he went back to the previous topic.

"Three is more common but up to five is considered normal enough. The three of us get looks because of Hermione, her parents aren't magical, but she is and among the older families…. well we recently finished a bit of a civil war about that. Though some are more accepting of her now because of it, because her presence means there's a chance of children. It doesn't matter so much for Ron, he has a lot of siblings, but I'm the last Potter and we're an old family so it's expected I have a few kids."

"So the three of you are together? Married?"

"We're registered but not married, not yet. Haven't really had the time for the publicity mess it'd be, too busy cleaning up after the war. Everyone assumes we're all together. Don't get me wrong, I love Ron, he was my first friend, but…we're not in love? We're affectionate enough but we're not attracted to each other that way. He's with Hermione, and I'm with Hermione. Which is amusing because it's assumed that we brought Hermione in to ensure heirs, which is what a lot of male pairings do, especially among the purebloods."

It sounded…complicated, but nice that it was accepted. He took another turn and grinned when he recognised where they were.

"This world looks like it has a lot of rebuilding to do…. good time for laws to adjust," Harry suggested as they started up the stairs towards the Royal Wing and Prompto blinked before grinning again.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Hermione walked with Ignis, keeping an eye on him as they did. She didn't have Harry's raw power to be clearing everything like she could sense him doing, it was better she save her reserves for anything important. He had obviously been blind for a while and while his vision had returned, it was not a complete return. His brain was also unused to such signals anymore and the last thing she wanted was for him to fall down the stairs or a hole in the floor because he didn't see them or misjudged the distance. "This place must be amazing when not damaged," she offered, and he smiled grimly.

"I spent most of my life here and yes, there is nothing like the Citadel anywhere else on Eos. Niflheim had Zegnautus Keep but having been there, the Citadel is far superior."

She smiled at that, every nation preferred their own palace or whatever the equivalent was. "I guess Hogwarts would be that for us… it was the first place Harry ever called home, the first place I ever had the chance to fit in, Ron's first chance to stand out from his multitude of older siblings."

"Hogwarts?" he asked, sounding curious as he carefully pronounced the name.

"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," she explained. "Starts when you're eleven through to graduation at seventeen, when a witch or wizard is considered an adult. The school is over a thousand years old and is a castle. Can make navigating classes interesting when you have one in a tower and then the dungeons for the next."

"Surely you have elevators or something similar?" he asked as she grabbed his arm and pulled him back from a drop he hadn't noticed, and she heard him swear very softly under his breath.

"We have staircases that move when they please and secret passages that can be accessed with passwords or on certain days. Unfortunately the magical world is over a century behind the rest of the world when it comes to technology. Our dorm was in one of the towers, we all got very fit lugging schoolbags around every day," she explained. "Your eyes and mind are still adjusting to having some vision back, don't push it."

"I apologise," he offered, and she patted his arm, smiling gently.

"You've had a very traumatic time between fighting, being frozen for possibly centuries, then de-aged, regaining some vision…it will take time for you to adjust, for all of you to adjust."

"And yourself? You are stranded in a new, strange world."

She smiled. "In a way it's like first year, I didn't know I was magical until I was eleven and then there was the new world and new rules and it was overwhelming. Then two terrified eleven-year-old boys burst into the girl's bathroom I'd been crying in and saved my life from the mountain troll that had gotten in and everything after that was fine, as long as we were together." She steadied him on the stairs, but they were easier since they were a standard distance apart. "We'd been considering leaving for a while. Harry's been in the spotlight since he came back to the magical world at eleven, one minute lauded as a hero, the next as an up and coming Dark Lord, and unsurprisingly he's sick of it. I evacuated my parents during the war, altered their memories to keep them safe, and while I found them after and undid it, they never moved back. Ron's family…. well, I love them, but they can be rather overwhelming. A fresh start will be good for us."

"I see," there was no censure in his voice, a little confusion but also understanding. "King Regis always did his best to keep Noctis out of the press, wanting him to have as normal as possible a life. It was why he was the first Royal to attend public school and I am glad he did, otherwise he never would have met Prompto. Gladio and I were assigned to him before becoming close, Prompto has always been his friend first."

Hermione nodded in understanding. "Is this it?" she asked as they came to a large set of locked doors and he reached out to run his fingers over them.

"Yes," he pushed but they were locked.

"Alohomora," she pressed her hand to the doors and felt the lock release. Silent casting was better, especially in combat, but it was also more taxing and she wanted to save her reserves in case she had to cast powerful spells later. They stepped inside and she looked around, spelling the curtains open. "Impressive," she murmured, taking in the size of the room. It was at least as big as the library of Hogwarts.

"Most records were computerised, but some have hardcopies," Ignis explained, moving in the direction of where they were kept in a room at the back.

"What are we looking for?" she asked, unlocking the indicated door.

"Blueprints for the Citadel and other important buildings, information on power generation, anything else necessary to get at least some buildings up and running as soon as possible, before we end up flooded with refugees and nowhere to house them."

"Let's get to work."

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Gladio observed the redhead as they began going through everything left behind during the invasion. It was a mess, so they were cleaning as they went. Either a lot of the medical staff had escaped, or the Empire had ransacked the place for their own stores, or a combination of both. At least he seemed competent in the way he was going through what was left.

Ron looked over at him. "Any idea if those returning will have supplies to restock with?"

"Things were getting bad towards the end, with Noctis back we should be able to get more curatives. Medications and technology will be harder to replace. We've lost a lot of people with technical skills," he admitted.

"Can't help with the technology bit, sorry. Magical society doesn't like the stuff, have fun telling most that electricity isn't a passing fad," he grinned. "Had to get comfortable with it due to Hermione and Harry, but I don't know a lot about it."

"How long as electricity been around in your world?"

"About two hundred years? Hermione probably knows the exact date. Magic and technology don't always mesh well either, can be a bit explosive."

"Huh. So you've got nothing like Magitek then?"

"No idea what that is. Okay…stand back," he warned and Gladio backed away, watching as the rest of themes began shifting and moving, cleaning itself. Ron looked a little winded at the end but nothing like stasis.

"So you're a Doctor?"

"Healer, certified last year. Finished training a few years ago though."

"So why the gap?" Gladio asked in confusion.

"Government was taken over by the enemy for a while so no one in training registered for our own safety and then after the war everything was pretty much chaos. Okay, I can set up a brewing station in here," Ron called as he looked in one of the side rooms. "Good thing I carry a full kit still."

"Brewing?" Gladio raised an eyebrow, surely he didn't mean alcohol?

"Potion brewing. Just don't let Harry near them, pretty sure he can cause a potion to blow up just by looking at it," he snickered. "Hermione's the best out of us but I'm not bad, especially for healing potions." He pulled out a bag and began setting up equipment that never should have fit in it…like their tent.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

"There are no surviving Council members, so you'll have to appoint new ones. Although Gladio has an automatic place as your Shield," Cor explained, watching Noctis closely as his King stood at the window, staring out at the city. Something was wrong but what? It was still jarring, seeing Noctis looking no different to how he had been the last time he had seen him at Cape Caem, before they sailed for Altissia so long ago. Prompto had shown him the photo he'd taken before they entered the city, Noctis had emerged from the Crystal as a thirty-year-old, but he'd been inside the Crystal all that time, had he really mentally grown up any? "Your Majesty?"

"Don't…please Cor," he whispered, and Cor moved up beside him, letting a hand rest on his shoulder.

"What is it Noctis?" he asked carefully.

"There's no Ring or Crystal anymore, no Astral given right to rule. The world got by for over a decade with no King, they might not want one again," he finally admitted, and Cor shook his head.

"Noctis, your return was what gave people hope. Stories of your work to gain the Astrals favour, to stop the Empire, are told everywhere there are people. Even the refugees of the Empire call you King now. It is your turn to rule," he assured him firmly and Noctis looked at him with wide eyes.

"Why?" he sounded lost. "I know what they used to say about me."

"That was a long time ago Noctis. You spent a year among the people, even if they didn't always realise who you were then. They have longed for your return and not just because you were the one who would bring back the Dawn. We did not make it common knowledge that it was meant to claim your life which means they have expected to have you as King."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Noctis stared at Cor. "Oh," he whispered. He hadn't expected that. So many times growing up he'd heard the whispers, how he'd never measure up to his Dad as King, that the Monarchy was going downhill with him as heir. The people had been waiting for him to not only save them from the Darkness…but to rule as King. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Okay. What do I need to do?"

_TBC…_


	7. Chapter 7

_Disclaimer: not mine_

**Chapter 7**

Harry followed Prompto into the sealed corridor once he had unlocked the doors. There was no battle damage, just the wear and grime of being empty for so long. There were several doors, spaced far apart which made sense, members of Royalty would have large suites. The corridor was richly decorated with artwork and what had been plush carpet. Harry motioned Prompto back and hit the whole thing with some housekeeping and repairing charms to freshen it up. "Where should we start?"

Prompto went to a door and tested the handle but it was locked. "This one," he said so Harry unlocked it and then went inside.

It was obvious why Prompto had picked this suite. The room they came into was furnished with comfortable couches, a large tv and entertainment unit. He could see what looked like movies and games…the room of a teenager? Then he spotted the wall with boxes up against it. "This is Noctis'?"

"Yeah." He wandered over to the boxes. "This is what we brought back from the apartment before leaving. Once he married Lunafreya they were going to live in the Citadel, when she wasn't fulfilling her duties as Oracle."

"Oracle?" Harry asked as he looked around, finding a small kitchen, three bedrooms and bathrooms as well as an office. He went to work cleaning it up so that it could be used.

"The Oracle was the Astrals voice to the people. They were also the ruling family of Tenebrae but the Empire took the country a long time ago, but they never touched Fenestala Manor because everyone would have rioted over their dare threatening the Oracle. The Oracles were left alone until Noctis and I were eight. Noctis was nearly killed by a daemon and was in a wheelchair for a long time, the King took him to Tenebrae for healing but the Empire found out and attacked. They killed Queen Sylva Via Fleuret but the King and Noct escaped. They had Luna with them but she let go of King Regis' hand to stay with her brother, Ravus. The Empire offered a treaty when we were twenty, Luna and Noct would be married as a sign of the peace, it was a trap obviously," Prompto indicated the mess outside the window. "The King sent us from the city, he wanted the wedding to happen in Altissia since while it was under Imperial control it still had its own government."

"Neutral territory?" Harry asked and Prompto nodded.

"Luna made it out of the city during the invasion and then went to work waking up the Astrals so that Noctis could forge covenants with them. She died in Altissia, during Leviathan's trial. Noctis was pretty out of it but…he said Ardyn stabbed her, her body was never found. The Oracles could heal people of the Scourge and the nights getting longer got worse after Luna died."

"Wow," Harry was amazed that one person had such an effect on the world.

"You don't have Oracles?" Prompto asked as he opened the windows to help freshen the suite.

"No. Then again there are more religions than I can count. Every one of them believes in something different, with different deities if they have any at all. Wars over religion are pretty common. I know Magicals believe more in magic as a force in the world, they swear by Merlin or Morgana, two previous very powerful and famous magicals from centuries ago. Prophecy is real so some believe in 'the Fates'. Personally if they exist I'd love to meet them and show them what I think of them," Harry snorted.

"Your world has prophecies too?"

"Yeah, true Seers are really rare and the prophecies all but impossible to interpret until after events. Trying to do so before hand and push them to a certain conclusion is generally a very bad idea."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Prompto heard the tone and saw the grimace of anger and distaste on Harry's face. "Were you…."

Harry looked at him and then sighed, moving to the balcony to look out at the deserted city. _"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..." _he said once Prompto had joined him and Prompto couldn't help a slight shiver at the words. "Because of that my life was hell. All because an old man put his faith in the words of a washed up drunk and the Dark Lord spoken of wanted no chance of someone able to defeat him."

"But if it was a prophecy then wouldn't it have come true anyway?"

"It was a self-fulfilling prophecy, if they had ignored it then it never would have come into play. By killing my parents and trying to kill me he fulfilled the first part, 'marking' me which meant the rest had to be finished. If that hadn't happened…but it did."

"Oh…I don't think it was like that here. Bahamut himself gave the prophecy of the Chosen King, that he would defeat the Darkness and bring back the Dawn, but…Noct wasn't meant to survive. Don't know how Shiva pulled that off but she is definitely my favourite Astral for that, and Ramuh too if he was involved," Prompto offered a shaky smile before looking at the boxes. "Don't know how much of this Noct will even want now…we're not the same kids who left for a wedding."

"So he was marring this Oracle for peace…what about you three?"

"Luna knew and was fine with it, they weren't in love. She was more like a big sister to Noct, they only met the once when he was in Tenebrae, they kept in contact though. Everyone thought they were this epic romance."

"Ah, got it," Harry nodded. "Well if you're back to the same age as before, then any clothing in the boxes or closet will come in handy. Did you three live here or close by?"

"My apartment was a good forty minutes away by transport, Gladio lived at home and Iggy used to live here but he moved into an apartment in Noct's building so he was also in the process of moving back. The Amicitia estate was probably heavily looted at least," he grimaced. He'd never been there but he knew it would hurt Gladio…and Iris! Oh boy.

"What is it?" Harry asked as they began unpacking boxes.

"Gladio's sister is eight years younger him…we got de-aged about ten years," he answered and saw green eyes widen in shock.

"Ah, that could be interesting and….awkward."

'Yeah." They soon had the clothing hanging in the wardrobe and most of what Prompto thought Noctis would want in its proper place. Some things he figured Noctis would keep packed away or donate to kids in need.

"Which rooms next?" Harry asked and they moved on to the other suites in the hall until only one remained.

"This…this was the Kings. It should be Noct's now but…"

"The reminder will hurt. It's his room, it should be his choice. Besides, it's not like anyone will know since this is the Royal Wing, right? After everything you've been through the familiarity will be good."

"Yeah," he was relieved that Harry got it. "You three should stay in one of the suites too, best we all stick together." He knew Noct would want them to remain close, they were obviously not Lucian or any other known nationality and the last thing they wanted was some idiot causing trouble for the people who had saved them all from an eternity of being ice statues.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Noctis smiled when Prompto and Harry appeared in the doorway, though part of him dreaded hearing how it had been. Was anything salvageable?

"Good news, you have a wardrobe!" Prompto gleefully announced. "Since my apartment is likely flattened, mind if I share?"

Noctis couldn't help laughing as he shook his head, they were pretty close in size after all. Harry got to work on lunch while they waited for the others. "How bad?" Noctis asked softly and Prompto bumped shoulders with him.

"Nothing a little magic didn't fix. Not sure about the electronics though, we'll have to wait till we have power. Your suite's all fixed up and ready. I told Harry they should use one of the others. All the suites are fixed up and ready for use. We…didn't go into your Dad's, Harry just hit it from the doorway with stuff to fix things up."

Noctis nodded, not sure what he thought of his Dad's rooms. He knew they were his now, that it was expected he would move into them. It made sense; they were larger which would be good with four of them living in them. Then Harry and his group could take his old rooms as the next biggest since they would need the room as a trio. But the thought of living out of his Dad's rooms was simply something he couldn't handle at the moment.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Harry led the way into their rooms, all of them looking forward to sleeping in a proper bed. It was smaller than Noctis' rooms with only two bedrooms but it was definitely fine for the three of them. They preferred having two bedrooms because they didn't always want to share the bed, especially during sex. Thanks to magic they soon had it set up and some wards around the rooms for protection, adding to the ones Harry had already placed on the whole Wing.

The Marshal had taken the room down the hall that was put aside for guards, while he had rooms elsewhere in the building it was safer to remain close by until they had gone through the whole building. They had shared dinner in Noctis' rooms before splitting up for the night, Harry fighting back a grin at how excited all four were to be back in a proper 'home'. He knew what that was like, it had been wonderful when the fighting was done and they could stop living on the run out of the tent.

"I'm beat and I think I'll take advantage of being able to stretch out," Ron smirked, moving to the smaller of the two bedrooms.

"You sure?" Harry blinked, surprised he'd be willing to sleep alone so quickly in a strange new world.

"You've been working hard and stressing too much Storm," he teased with Harry's Marauder nickname. "Have fun," he said as he went into the room and put up silencing spells.

Harry just shook his head but followed Hermione into the main bedroom.

"Ron's right," she told him as she turned down the bed.

"Like you two haven't been working just as hard." He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into a brief kiss.

"True," she grinned and moved towards the bed as her clothing vanished with a murmured spell and Harry laughed but followed her. They hadn't really relaxed since being dumped in that hallway so tonight they would relax and then he would sleep in the other room tomorrow.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Ignis woke slowly, feeling utterly safe and content in a way he hadn't felt in far too long. He kept his eyes closed, using senses that had been honed during a decade of blindness. He could hear the soft breathing of the other three, feel the warmth of their bodies, Noctis' arm thrown over his hip, Gladio pressed against his back, knew Prompto was curled into Noctis' other side and he fought the sudden urge to cry.

He had thought he'd never have this again and yet here they were. He knew they had a lot to talk about, that they couldn't just go back to how they had been before the Crystal took Noctis. They had drifted apart while he was gone and he hated that, he knew he bore some of the blame for it too. He'd wanted so badly to prove he could still be independent, to learn to hunt blind, that he'd pushed them away. Gladio had just been so angry at everything and everyone that he'd left. Prompto had tried so hard but with the mental and physical blows he'd taken since that doomed train journey…had he thought they no longer wanted him because of his birth? He'd always been uncertain of his place with them, despite having been with Noctis first, that when they'd pushed he'd just faded out of their lives, working hard to help the refugees from the Empire. When Ignis had heard that Prompto's past had been revealed by a scared old woman, that some had turned on him, he'd been terrified and had rushed to help. Cor had beaten him there and defused the situation so that when Ignis had arrived, Prompto had been gone already.

They had seen each other, hunted together, and once he'd gotten an apartment in Lestallum and begun relearning to cook he had demanded they come when in town. He'd been able to feel how Prompto had tried to distance himself, obviously thinking Ignis didn't want him anymore. He'd had to coax the younger man into his bed and afterwards he had pretended not to notice the tears as Prompto lay curled in his arms. Getting all three of them in town at the same time had never been easy, there had been too much to do, but they had begun trying harder. He had never thought Noctis was the only thing holding them together and so he had worked to ensure they both knew he wanted them even without their King. But there had still been a tension between Gladio and Prompto, no matter what he tried. Even now, they were sleeping as far apart as they could get in the bed and it worried him a lot.

They would be very busy now, trying to get things started for the people who would be coming to the city. He didn't want them to get too busy to deal with whatever the issue was but he also knew pushing too hard would cause them both to pull away.

"Specs?" Noctis murmured and Ignis opened his eyes to find concerned blue staring at him, how had he missed Noct waking. "Too early to be thinking so hard," he told him before leaning in for a morning kiss.

Ignis smiled slightly as he returned it, there had been no time when they'd been reunited, not for anything more than hurried kisses in the dark and assuring themselves that Noctis was really back with them…only to find out they would lose him again so soon. When they'd woken alone in the Throne room they'd been terrified only to hear fighting outside. By the time they had made it down the front steps, the physical battle had been over and they had been given the chance to say their goodbyes one last time. Honestly, Ignis had been happy to face the spawning daemons, not wanting to live if his King perished. Now, he was very glad they had all survived. They had a second chance and he would not waste it.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Noctis watched Ignis and Harry cook breakfast for the group. He'd woken up to find Ignis lying there, eyes closed, but obviously awake and thinking, whatever it had been had not been all that happy. They needed to talk, privately, before anyone else showed up. He hadn't had the chance to really talk to them about what had happened during the decade he was gone, if Talcott hadn't mentioned them being apart more often than they were together he never would have known. If he was going to be King and announce that he would not marry a woman to be his Queen then their relationship had to be stable. If they really wanted a Lucis Caelum heir there were other ways to get one, maybe their new friends would know of some more as well. He hated talking, especially about feelings, he wasn't any good at it, but it had to happen.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Cor watched the two groups as he ate, there was tension between the boys, then again there had been ever since they returned from Gralea beaten and battered and with Noctis having vanished into the Crystal. He'd seen them fall apart without Noctis, something that had surprised him. He would make sure they had time to sit and talk because they had to be working seamlessly together before the refugees began arriving. They could show no weakness. Of the newcomers, well, he could see the signs that they'd had a good night and he didn't want or need to know anything else there. What worried him though was what he could see between his King and their leader, Noctis' relationship was complicated enough without throwing an attraction to someone else in, especially someone who was also in a relationship. How was this his life? Regis and Clarus were laughing their heads off at him somewhere, he just knew it. This should be their problem, not his!

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Prompto shifted uneasily as Noctis locked the door. It was easy to see what this was about and it terrified him. He couldn't lose them, he couldn't, not again. No, Noctis had shown no sign of wanting to end things, he'd kissed him in front of Cor! Did he know how badly things had gone when he vanished? Maybe…he'd been in a truck with Talcott for hours, the young hunter had likely filled him in on how they'd been…and how much time they spent separately. He knew that was partially his fault, he'd needed time to come to terms with the truth of his past. Gladio's anger had also scared him a little, to the point he'd avoided the older man as much as possible. Iggy had needed to find his independence and faith in his own abilities but as soon as he was back fully on his feet he'd worked to fix things between them and it had mostly worked. So why couldn't he and Gladio sort things out too?

He hated feeling so unsure but…it felt like when they'd started the road trip. Which kind of made sense, their bodies had been de-aged which meant they once again had the more volatile hormones, at least he and Noct did since they were only just out of their teens. That would explain why he felt like he was bouncing around from emotion to emotion, he hadn't managed to settle that down fully until he was twenty-three. Great.

"Noct?" Gladio asked, arms crossed.

"We need to talk, all of us," Noctis answered as he sat down.

Yep, he was really not looking forward to this.

_TBC…_


	8. Chapter 8

_Disclaimer: not mine_

**Chapter 8**

"We need to talk, all of us," Noctis answered as he sat down. He didn't really want to do this, but it had to be done. For their unique relationship to work they had to communicate, no matter how much he hated it. He took a deep breath and looked at them, it felt right, seeing them like this. When he'd first seen them at Hammerhead it had been a shock, not right, but now they were as he remembered.

He spotted Prompto shifting nervously, hands trembling slightly, and he wanted to tell him it would be okay…but he didn't know if it would be.

"Talcott talked a lot during the drive from Galdin and I've seen some for myself… you split up when I was gone. Why? Even as the Crystal was dragging me in, I knew you would all be okay, because you had each other. Was I really all that was keeping us together? Because if I am…then how can this work?" he stopped, his own hands trembling slightly. He didn't want to do this, didn't want to risk losing any of them, but what else could he do?

"Noct…" Prompto whispered, fiddling with his glove...the one on his right wrist and Noctis felt sick, surely they wouldn't have…they'd accepted him in the Keep.

No…they wouldn't have cut him out because of where and how he was born. But what if others had found out? He got up and walked over, gently clasping his hand in his own, tugging the glove off to reveal the barcode. It wasn't a tattoo; he could feel the raised lines beneath his fingers. He gently stroked the skin and Prompto shivered so he pulled him into a hug. "Oh Prom…" he whispered. "I don't care about this, you know that. I meant what I said at the Keep," he promised and he felt Prompto cling to him.

"There was some trouble…after some older refugees from Niflheim arrived, they recognised his resemblance to Besithia. The Marshal had to step in on Prompto's behalf, we did not know about it until after," Ignis admitted sadly. "I spent the early days after you vanished adapting to my new reality. I refused any help, I needed to regain my independence. After, I secured an apartment in Lestallum for us all to stay in when we were in the city."

"You should have seen him Noct, Iggy was amazing," Prompto smiled at the other blond who smiled back.

Good, that was good, whatever had happened, those two had worked things out. And Gladio wasn't looking at any of them. There'd been…issues with his Shield the majority of the trip, surely they hadn't lasted the whole decade? He could take Gladio bullying him, pushing him, he just pushed back. Ignis would be more subtle but he would put Gladio in his place if needed. But Prompto?

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Harry nodded to the man as he joined him in the hallway, content to silently watch as Harry repaired a section of the ceiling. Hermione and Ron were taking a day off from repairs fully and going through more records, letting their magic recharge. "Did you want something Marshal?" he asked as he worked.

"Why are you so willing to help?" he asked bluntly and Harry looked at him before focusing on his work.

"This is our home now too, why wouldn't we help? Rebuilding from war is something we've gotten experience in. This world has the chance to rebuild, ours was more of a patch job, the war didn't change as much as either side had hoped for," he explained sadly.

"And what will be the price for your aid?"

"Nothing more than the chance to live in peace. We're not doing this for payment sir, it's the right thing to do."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Gladio could see where the discussion was going and he wanted no part of it. He'd done his job; he'd protected the people while Noctis was off with the Astrals. So what if he hadn't spent a lot of time with the others? They'd all had jobs to do. There hadn't been time to worry about other things, not when they had to keep as many people as possible safe and human. And yeah, he'd not wanted to see the blond for a while…which was dumb, they would have gone to the Keep even if he hadn't gotten snatched but maybe they all would have been better mentally than they were. He couldn't help how he felt.

Ignis' comments had gotten rather pointed after a year or so, as he became aware of the distance between them. So he'd kept his distance from both of them. Ignis had been able to comfort Prompto, he knew they'd been sleeping together too once Ignis had settled into Lestallum properly. Eventually he had started showing up at the apartment more but there was a wall between them he didn't know how to break.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Prompto looked up as a hand landed on his arm, Ignis smiling softly at him and he managed a smile in return. He'd needed to hear it again, that Noct didn't care what he was. Who knew what the people would say once they found out about them? He still got looks from some people, despite everything he had done over the years to protect them all. As far as some were concerned a Niff was a Niff, so how would they react to Noct bringing down the walls between nations? Cor's support had helped keep things from getting violent but it wasn't just Lucians, there had been some instances with refugees from Niflheim, they called him empty, a machine…he didn't really blame them, the Empire had used MT's to control its own population towards the end.

It had hurt, after everything he'd worked so hard for, that was why he had pulled away, hunting on his own. It was safer to watch his own back than to wonder if his partner was going to stab him in it. The hunters who knew him from the time on the run with Noct had been fine, but some of the newer ones had always eyed him warily. There'd been once….he'd never told anyone…a group had cornered him, tying him up, stripping him, searching for any sign of the Scourge or machinery, so sure they'd find something. He'd told Ignis the injuries had been from a bad hunt when the man had heard him limping, not wanting anyone to do anything. They'd needed every hunter they could get.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Noctis knew Prompto was keeping quiet, he'd seen the same behaviours back in school when he had trouble with bullies. He had the feeling he didn't want to know what he'd gone through over that decade, not if he didn't want to rip a few of his subjects apart. That would probably be a bad way to start his reign though. "I don't care what anyone says. You are my Crownsguard and a Lucian citizen. If they have a problem with you they can take it up with me," he swore. He glanced at Ignis who nodded and moved to sit beside Prompto, tucking him into his side, an arm around his shoulders and Prompto slowly relaxed into him.

Noctis straightened up and turned to Gladio, seeing his expression. "Come on," he motioned for his Shield to follow him and saw the slight hesitation before he stood and followed him onto the balcony for privacy. "Do I need to force it out of you or are you going to tell me what happened?" he demanded.

"I did my job; I kept the people safe for you."

"Gladio! Enough. I have put up with your foul temper since Insomnia fell and yeah, I deserved some of it but you went too far and I am done letting it happen. You cannot take you temper out on us! Ignis can take it and brush it off, he knows how to make you shut up when he wants to. I can take it but I am done doing so. But Prompto? You know how he's struggled to feel like he belongs with us. You saw his injuries, how jumpy he was...you know what Ardyn was like…tell me you didn't blame him?" he half begged, half demanded.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Ron put the file down and sat on the chair he'd repaired. "Do you think this city can really be fixed?"

"With time, yes. Once power is up and running you'll be amazed by how quickly it can happen," she leant over and kissed his cheek. "The lands outside the city will likely be harder to get under control, depending on how animal numbers have increased. Farmland will need to be cleared; roads repaired…"

"So why are we doing all the work and the locals are locked away?"

"You didn't notice? And here I thought you'd outgrown having the emotional range of a teaspoon," she teased and he took a playful swat at her. "There's tensions in that group and they can't afford that when people begin arriving. I would say they are trying to sort everything out."

"Okay, I guess that's a good reason to take the day off," he agreed and she kissed him properly, making him wish the day would end so they could go to bed.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Prompto curled into Ignis' side like he had so often since Ignis had forced him into his apartment and then kept pushing until Prompto would accept that Ignis still wanted him, still loved him. He felt long fingers playing with his hair and he closed his eyes, enjoying the moment. He could hear Noct's raised voice but ignored it, he didn't really want to hear what they were saying. He felt Ignis press a kiss to the side of his head and looked up at him. He was so happy Iggy had his sight back, even if it wasn't fully. Though he was glad Ignis had never seen the scars he'd collected, even if he'd been able to feel them.

"Noctis is right, you are one of us, and I am sorry if my actions…" Ignis sounded heartbroken and Prompto turned his head away, resting on his shoulder.

"No Iggy," he stopped him there. "You needed the time on your own to adjust, everything happened so fast… I…I knew you didn't want me gone I just couldn't…" he trailed off and he felt Ignis shift and then a warm hand was guiding his head up and he clung to Ignis as he was kissed.

Ignis pressed his forehead against Prompto's, staring into his eyes. "I am still sorry Prompto, we should have leant on each other to deal with our pain and grief."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Noctis waited for Gladio to answer him, he was not going to let it go. They had to get everything out in the open while they had time and privacy.

"You weren't here! Don't you get all high and mighty with me," Gladio growled.

"You're right, I wasn't here. And I hate that," he answered. "But you cannot use us as outlets for your temper. I know your Dad talked to you about it more than once, Ignis did on the road….but you keep doing it. Cor said the people still want me as King, what do you think will happen if you lash out in public?" He kept pushing because Gladio had to see and admit it was a problem. "I'd have to censure you, Shield or not. I don't ever want to be put in that position."

Gladio just glared at him and walked off.

"Gladio?" Ignis called but he ignored him as well, leaving Noct's rooms.

He walked back into the living room and collapsed on his chair. "That could have gone better," he muttered before glancing up, smiling as he saw Prompto curled into Ignis. "How bad did he get, honestly? And how many people realised?"

"His temper has had something of a hair trigger since Gralea," Ignis admitted softly. "I got a pass for the first few years but he has snapped at me a few times. You may wish to speak with the Marshal."

"He never got violent," Prompto was quick to add.

"If he had, an intervention would have been unavoidable," Ignis offered. That was likely why he'd managed to hold that back. "Gladio has always had trouble dealing with strong emotions, especially when he believes he has failed in some way."

"Well he's going to have to learn," Noctis sighed. Prompto bunched up more against Ignis and looked at him hopefully so Noct got up and sat in the newly cleared space. He lifted Prom's legs and set them across his lap so he wasn't squished. "I hate this," he whispered. Things had gotten tense between them towards the end, after Altissia, Ignis had withdrawn, Gladio had been lashing out, and he'd been trying to deal with his guilt over Luna's death and being unable to move, to help her. Ignis had cornered him when they were in Tenebrae to clear the air between them and while Prompto had been hesitant while Noctis brooded, he had still stuck by his side so…until Noct had pushed him from the train but they had talked too, the night after they had found Prompto.

Maybe….Gladio no longer wanted to be with them? And hadn't for a while. Was that what the anger issue was really about? Had he grown away from them but been unable to tell them?

"What if Gladio doesn't love us anymore?" Prompto whispered, as if he had read Noctis' mind.

"I do not know," Ignis admitted.

"If he…does that…" Prompto looked up at them and Noctis gently squeezed his leg.

"If Gladio doesn't want to be a part of this anymore, then that is his choice. I love all of you and I don't want out," Noctis told him firmly, feeling his face warm slightly at simply stating he loved them.

Ignis smiled and leant over Prompto to give him a quick kiss, a hand stroking Prompto's hair as he did. "That is Gladio's choice to make, I know mine," he murmured. "I love you all as well and I will not willingly give that up."

With their words, Prompto relaxed, reaching back to take Noctis' hand, his other hand clutching Ignis' side. "I love you guys too," he whispered shakily.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Cor and Harry shifted back as Gladio stormed passed them. Cor watched him go with a frown, that did not look good. He saw Harry look from Gladio back towards the Royal Wing. Cor walked off after Gladio to see what was going on, he really was too old to be chasing after kids anymore.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Dinner that night was a bit tense, Gladio and Cor not returning. Harry worked to draw the three locals into telling them more about how the city had been before Hermione began telling them what she and Ron had found during the day.

"We found schematics and maps that show where all the power stations in the city are, if we can get power on it will be a good step forward," she explained and Ignis nodded.

"There is likely still fuel at many of them. The Empire would have looted some but it's doubtful they found them all."

"I may be able to come up with an alternative," she offered and Harry looked at her.

"Runic array?" he asked and she nodded. "Am I anything but a battery to you," he mock whined and she laughed, kissing his cheek.

"Definitely," she whispered in his ear and he laughed, wrapping an arm around her waist as Ron snickered. Eventually she stood and said her goodnights, Ron quickly following and Harry smiled as he watched them go, moving to help Ignis with the dishes.

"I can deal with these, you should go with them," he offered and Harry shook his head.

"No, Ron took the other bedroom last night so it's my turn tonight," he explained but Ignis just looked more confused. Obviously Prompto hadn't said anything after their discussion. "Despite what it looks like, Ron and I are just friends, he was my first ever friend actually. We love each other but not like that. I'm with Hermione and Ron is with Hermione. It's a common thing back home to ensure heirs, we just didn't quite get together the way most thought," he shrugged slightly.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Noctis listened and…he wasn't sure what he was thinking or feeling. Their relationship with Gladio might be falling apart, the last thing he needed was the complication of falling for someone new as well. But if Harry wasn't with Ron…maybe he didn't like guys? He bit back a groan and then he felt Prompto wrap an arm around his shoulders, leaning against him.

"I like him too," the blond whispered. "I don't think it's that he doesn't like other guys, I think it's just the way he feels about his first friend."

"Everything's a mess, this isn't a good time…" he tried to argue and Prompto smiled.

"Yeah, but eventually we'll get it sorted."

Once the dishes were done they said goodnight to Harry, Prompto surprising him with a hug which he hesitantly returned and then he was gone, Prompto watching him.

"Prom?"

"He tensed….like I did after…after the Keep," he admitted.

"They have come out of a war as well," Ignis pointed out. "Go on, to bed with both of you."

"Iggy?"

"I'll wait up for Gladio a little longer." He shooed them off to the bedroom.

They stripped off and crawled in together and Noctis kissed him, hand hesitantly going to his side. He wanted to be with him, to prove once and for all that he meant everything he'd said. It had been so long, even if he had spent most of their separation asleep. He was relieved when Prompto kissed back, rolling onto his back, tugging Noctis with him so that he was leaning over the blond.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Ignis smiled when he heard the first moan, good, he knew they both needed to reaffirm their connection. The smile faded and he sighed, what was really going on with Gladio? He'd been so relieved when Noctis returned to them that Ignis had hoped everything would be better. Instead, it felt like they were losing him and with no idea how to stop it.

_TBC…._


	9. Chapter 9

_Disclaimer: Not mine_

_Sorry for the long wait. When this first started it was just going to be short and light on storyline but then storyline kept butting in and now it is more involved than originally planned which has slowed things down a lot._

_Very happy to be home from surgery! All went well thankfully_

**Chapter 9**

Noctis kissed Prompto, hands skimming up and down his sides without going under his shirt. He wasn't going to do anything that Prompto didn't want, he would let him set the pace. The bad thing about being back at twenty? All of those hormones were back. Prompto wrapped his arms around his neck, holding him close as they kissed.

"Please Noct," he whispered between kisses.

"Whatever you want," he promised.

Prompto moved his arms, shoving at Noct's shirt and he yanked it off as Prompto sat enough to pull his own off. Noctis studied the revealed skin, seeing scars that matched his injuries from Gralea but nothing beyond that. It was a relief in a way, to not see the damage done in his absence but part of him wanted to know exactly what had happened to all of them while he was gone. He reached for the glove that Prompto had put back on and slipped it off and then his hands went to the loose pants Prom had put on for bed and he lifted his hips.

Noctis grinned as he looked Prompto over and his cheeks went pink.

"Noooct," he whined.

"You're beautiful," he told him softly even as he wriggled out of his own pants. "I love you…I wasn't really awake in there but sometimes I'd see you, all of you… it was all that kept me sane in there," he explained shakily.

"You're here Noct, you're out, and this is real," Prompto whispered. He shifted on the bed, parting his legs to let Noctis settle more firmly. "I want you Noct, please."

Noctis nodded and then pulled what they needed from the Armiger since anything that may be left in his room would be very out of date. They hadn't had time for anything once he'd come out of the Crystal and he was determined to make it as good as possible.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Harry walked the silent halls of the Citadel, fixing everything he could while everyone else slept. He didn't need as much sleep, then again he'd spent most of his life getting by on too little sleep. He knew that by morning the first wave of refugees would reach the Citadel and they would need somewhere to sleep.

He was making his way through the various apartments, boxing up personal belongings, and cleaning them up until habitable. He labelled every box with where they came from and then shrank them for storage. That way, if anyone was still around who'd lived there, or their next of kin, they could claim their belongings at some point.

A few times, he came across piles of dust in various rooms and halls and he knew….they were what was left of those who hadn't made it out during the invasion, their bodies turned to dust over centuries. It gave a better idea of how long the population had slumbered. The dust he carefully collected into unbreakable bottles for the locals to decide what to do with since he didn't know their funerary rites.

It was depressing work, but it had to be done and soon the place would be filled with life again.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Hermione wasn't surprised to find Harry in the bowels of the Citadel an hour before sunrise. The Citadel had its own power generators, but they had been thoroughly destroyed, apparently Harry had decided to fix them. While he worked on getting them into usable condition she began preparing the runic arrays that would provide the fuel.

"Ron still sleeping?" he asked after a while.

"He's been brewing almost non-stop to ensure any sick or wounded can be seen too as well as the research and restoration work," she pointed out.

"And you've been doing any less?" he asked with a grin and she rolled her eyes.

"And you?" she grinned and kept working.

Harry chuckled and kept at it. She worried about him, she really did, but there was nothing they could do. There had never been someone like him before or if there had, no records had been left behind. He seemed…lighter at least since they had arrived on Eos.

"Done," he announced and then they got to work on setting up the array.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Ignis looked up as Cor joined him, helping him get the meal ready. They were using the food supplies that their new friends had with them. That was a major concern, food. Parties would need to be organised and sent out to forage and hunt until farms could be set up and begin producing crops.

"Everything alright?" the Marshal asked.

"Noctis confronted Gladio last night," he admitted softly. "It ended with Gladio storming out."

"I see."

They both knew what would happen if Gladio didn't get control of his temper and deal with his anger in a proper manner.

"Clarus had a temper too but never this undirected rage," Cor admitted.

"From all I've heard, you had quite the temper too Marshal," Ignis offered, glancing at him. Everything looked so different, because his vison wasn't perfect or simply because he had been blind so long and everything had changed.

"I did," he agreed and then frowned slightly. "How are you doing?"

"It is…an adjustment. My depth perception needs some work, my distance vision is a problem as well."

"How bad?"

"I cannot make out the hall door from the wall," he admitted stiffly. He hated admitting the weakness but there was no other options. The Marshal needed and had the right to know anything that affected those under his command, especially those closest to Noctis. He had been known for seeing everything around them and he had spent years learning to see without his eyes, now with partial vision he was worse off. "I trained to overcome total blindness; I can work around this to with time."

"I had no doubt. Glasses too could help."

Ignis nodded, he'd worn glasses for years but had been able to function without them, now they would be a necessity. He would have to ensure he had multiple pairs once they could begin production of such things. There'd been a jeweller in Lestallum who had done his best to keep those who needed glasses supplied but he was not an optician let alone had any medical training.

There were so many necessary fields of expertise with no one left. With access to the archives and if damage to the schools and universities wasn't too bad then people could be trained for many roles, but it would all be book learning, there'd be no one to mentor and teach them. How long would it take for society to recover to anything nearing the levels they had grown up with? Longer than their lives?

"Keep focused on the necessary for now," Cor told him as if realising what he was thinking about.

Ignis nodded and then looked over as a sleepy, half naked, Prompto wandered in. He smiled at the adorable sight and moved in, ignoring Cor to wrap an arm around Prompto's waist, kissing him good morning. He never wanted Prompto to doubt their relationship again, to think he was unwanted. Prompto eagerly returned the kiss, clinging to him, making sleepy noises of happiness. "Good morning," Ignis murmured and Prompto blinked up at him.

"Mornin'," he mumbled in return. Then he saw Cor and stiffened but Ignis kept his grip around his waist and Prompto relaxed against him slowly.

"Good morning," Cor told him with a nod.

"Marshal," Prompto returned.

"The King still asleep?"

"Fast asleep," Prompto grinned. "I should get dressed,." He pulled away and went back into the bedroom.

"I haven't seen him that relaxed and happy in a long time," Cor offered and Ignis nodded.

"Having Noctis back has definitely helped, it has helped both of us."

"I'll find Gladio for breakfast," Cor told him, leaving the suite.

Ignis sighed but went back to ensuring a good meal, especially for the trio who had been doing so much work to get the city into habitable condition.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Gladio looked up as the lights flickered and then turned on, hearing various bits of machinery kicking on or trying to. Somehow they'd gotten the Citadel's power online which would be useful with refugees due any day. He'd seen the emptied apartments and rooms, all repaired and clean, ready for new inhabitants. It hurt a little, knowing that most of those who had once lived there would never be back, people he'd once paid no attention to as they passed each other every day.

He made his way to a familiar corridor, pushing against a door that was still showing signs of damage. Obviously repairs hadn't made it to there and why would they? There was no need for offices just yet. The door opened and he walked inside the room he had known all his life…his Father's office. Shockingly, it was mostly untouched. The computer was gone, a few shelves disturbed, but that was all. The rest was all decay from who knew how long.

No one who had survived from the Citadel had seen his Father or the King fall, they didn't know where it had happened. He knew his Father hadn't died in his office and yet even with the mess, it made him feel a little closer to him.

How long until Iris arrived? Surely she would come as soon as possible to see if they had survived? How would she react to seeing him suddenly so young? He was physically younger than her now. He didn't often see her; Monica and Cor had handled a lot of her training over the years. He knew the reputation she had made for herself and was proud of her, but she'd needed to grow up without him there to protect her to survive in the mess their world had become.

He'd spent the night outside in the barren gardens. They had obviously died off during the decade of darkness and remained dead during the years frozen over. They had been the Queen's favourites so Noctis would likely want them replanted with something.

Noctis…he'd been avoiding thinking about the others all night… he leant against the window, staring out at the city as the sun began lighting the city. He didn't know what to do, what he wanted to do.

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Noctis smiled as Harry and his group joined them for the meal. "Thanks for getting the power up."

"No problem," Harry shrugged, collapsing on the couch as Ignis handed him a plate. "Thanks." He then looked out towards the main bridge back to the mainland. "We've got company coming, an hour tops."

"Then we have work to do," Noctis set aside his plate and he felt Ignis grip his shoulder briefly in support.

"I'll see to your raiment," Ignis told him.

"No," he shook his head. "I'll meet them as they know me," he stood up.

"Are you sure?" Cor asked and Noctis nodded.

"Very well, though they have not been washed," Ignis warned.

Hermione stood up. "I can fix that, anything that needs cleaning or repairing."

"No, I'll do it, you two have been working already today and I got a lie in," Ron stood, kissing her, before motioning for Ignis to lead on.

"I cleared out all the living quarters I could find. I boxed up personal belongings for either the owners or next of kin to claim if there's anyone. In some I found… I don't know your funerary rites and it's definitely been a few centuries…" he placed a jar on the table and Noctis swallowed as he realised what was in it.

"I'll take care of it," Cor told him. "It's my job." He took the jar and stood. "I'll find Gladio and work on securing the entrance as much as possible, just in case."

"No one meaning harm to anyone already in here will be able to get passed the main gates," Harry told them. "Once in here though, if a disagreement breaks out… I'll need to set up more permanent wards to ensure your protection at least." He looked at Noctis who grimaced but nodded.

He didn't like it, but it made sense. If they had that kind of magic…his Dad could have survived the invasion. "How many can they protect?"

"Depends on the ward and how it's powered. There's no ley lines like back home so the massive ward schemes Hogwarts had are out."

"Blood wards?" Hermione asked with a grimace and…sympathetic look at Harry.

"How many relatives do you have?" Harry asked him and Noctis grimaced.

"No close relatives. I think Gladio is very distantly related, but that's at least two hundred years between us."

"Not close enough which rules out blood wards," Harry shook his head. "Guess we're getting creative."

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Iris jumped down from the truck, looking around. The Citadel looked…untouched, like how she remembered. How was that possible? It had taken the first waves of the fighting that day. She kept her hand on her sword as she moved towards the stairs, the others spreading out. She was terrified of what they were going to find because losing them? Any or all of them? She couldn't do it.

She froze as the doors opened and then stared in shock as a familiar figure stepped out into the sunlight. "Noct?"

_TBC…_


End file.
